Hell, Aliens, and A Pet Rock
by TalyaJB
Summary: Every denizen of Hell wants one thing: escape. Cell's wish is granted when he discovers a rock that promises him freedom and the feast of a lifetime. Unfortunately, using it comes at a cost. Now Cell is the most-wanted man in the omniverse and his goldly pursuers will do anything to get their hands on the powerful artifact. It's just too bad that it won't shut up.
1. Chapter 1

Hell.

Humans assumed that the evil place held endless streams of fire and scorched brimstone. A place where the souls of the damned were torn apart by scores of hungry, winged daemons. Some were smothered in a lake of boiling blood. Others were frozen under feet of sub-zero ice.

The reality was far worse.

The actual Hell held little by way of fire and brimstone. In fact, at first glance, the place seemed rather peaceful. The main courtyard held a fountain of blood surrounded by lush mountains and greenery that stretched farther than the eye could see. The sky held a red-orange hue like an early sunset. Large black, crystalline structures shot their sharp spines high into the sky, breaking the natural mountainous skyline with their spires. The wind was soft and delicate, carrying a comfortable breeze that wafted the scents of the multitude of sparkling flowers across the landscape.

The inhabitants hated all of it. The place was dull. It held nothing of value to the reams of souls trapped in the depths of the beautiful atmosphere. There was no excitement, no thrill, to the endless expanse of rocky terrain. Even the ogres and demons that guarded Hell felt its endless boredom. Some of the newer inhabitants hated the place so much that on one recent occasion they tried to overthrow the ogres and demons and escape. The rebellion would have been successful, were it not for King Yemma calling in the help of a Super Saiyan named Goku from the realm of the living to put down the frightful villains. After such a humiliating defeat, many of the former rebels lost their spark. Another round of souls was condemned to eternity of drudgery and hopelessness.

But one damned soul still fought on.

Cell snarled as he smashed another boulder into pieces with his fist. The genetically- engineered android fumed as he pummeled the mountainside in frustration. Normally he would have blasted the whole mountain to rubble with his energy field, but after his recent humiliation at the hands of Goku, he couldn't stand how weak he had become. He needed more power. He needed to train for the first time in his life to surpass his enemy. He was going to escape and when he did, he'd pummel the life out of Goku and his son, Gohan, to recompense for his defeat. For that plan to be fully accomplished, he needed to become even stronger than his wildest dreams. He screamed again, crumbling half the mountain to dust with simply his cry of frustration.

Hours later, Cell flew away from the remote mountain chain that he had turned into rubble from the force of his training to an area forested by tall crystal spikes. The android's yellow feet touched down on the ground with a distinctive squeaking noise. His glowing reddish-pink eyes surveyed the sorry scene before him. A horde of damned souls sat, stood, or otherwise milled about the forest talking in a dull murmuring drone. Cell glided through the crowd, and they parted before him like water. Hundreds of eyes eyed his armored form wearily. Cell smirked, causing the group of weaklings to cower in fear. It was rather nice to be the most powerful being in Hell. The benefits were rather rewarding.

His attention was diverted as he spotted a white and purple tailed figure in the crowd. The other individual locked eyes with the powerful green super-warrior. Cell drew near.

"Freeza," Cell smirked, his voice deep and confident, almost to the point of a constant, snide, self-important sneer.

"Cell," the much shorter former galactic overlord acknowledged.

"I have a proposition," Cell smirked, crossing his speckled arms over his midnight black chest.

"Let me guess," Freeza sneered, "you want to fight me."

Cell's confident smile turned rapidly to a snarl, "But of course."

Freeza lazily waved his hand as if to brush aside an annoying fly, "I have no interest in fighting an abomination such as yourself. My goal is to take my soldiers and attempt another assault upon those miserable ogres. After those fools are defeated, they will tell me the location of the exit and I will make my way to Earth to pay Goku a little 'visit'."

"Our goals are the same, Freeza," Cell snorted, "you're just to simple to see that if you don't train, you'll end up back here after Goku kills you again."

Freeza snapped.

"That dirty monkey won because I wasn't taking the fight seriously! He was lucky!"

Cell snorted.

"Whatever, Freeza," Cell turned and strode away, the Freeza force soldiers scampering out of his way, "I see that you're not worth my time anyway."

Freeza's only response was to glower at Cell's back. Cell opened his black, bug-like wings, and took off into the sky. The remaining Freeza Force members looked after his rapidly diminishing form with a mix of apprehension and relief. A purple, horned individual turned to Freeza.

"Lord Freeza, are you going to let that bug insult you like that?" Captain Ginyu asked.

"He'll get what's coming to him after I've taken my revenge on Goku," Freeza sneered, still glaring at the spot where Cell had dissipated into the sky.

Cell soared overhead. What a waste of time, of course Freeza would never fight. The bastard was both delusional and lazy, he'd never stoop to fighting anyone other than Goku. Such a shame, Freeza was the closest thing to a worthwhile training partner in this garbage wasteland. Oh well. He'd have to find another way to test his training.

Another hour later, Cell landed again in another mountain chain. This area seemed like it had been untouched by Hell's inhabitants for generations. The trees and spires were tangled and overgrown, vines fell in thick curtains from the treetops. Cell forced his way through so that he could reach the base of the nearest mountain so that he could blast it to pieces. The vines gabbed at him, but he incinerated anything that came too close, so his path was not impeded for long. He arrived at the bottom of the mountain within a few short minutes.

Cell grinned with excitement. He cracked his neck in anticipation of the workout to come. He began his training by tearing up the mountain. It was unfortunate that there were no asteroids to top off the day's training. They always were a fun warm-up or relaxing cool-down. But since none were present, he had to make do with these. He then spent hours blasting the mountains to rubble. By the time that he was finished, all that remained was a desert wasteland.

He was about to take off to find another location to continue his training when he spotted it. Something glimmered in the light of the fading sun almost entirely buried by the rubble he left behind. Curious, Cell approached the shining object. His shadow fell over it, and the reflected light winked out from the darkness of his shadow. At his feet was a large oval diamond, probably 100 carats at least.

In hindsight, Cell wouldn't remember why he picked it up. He would tell himself later that it was for the sake of idle curiosity. Maybe it was. Regardless of his reasoning, he picked up the diamond and took off.

The night fell as he flew through the sky. Hell at night was far less pleasant than the day. The wind turned ice cold and tiny spikes littered the ground, so it became unconformable to sleep. Fortunately for Cell, he was not burdened by the need for sleep. So, he continued scouring hell for a suitable spot to train.

He landed outside the mouth of a cave. Usually some hellish creatures inhabited these caves. Perhaps one of them could pose some threat. He entered the cave with reckless abandon, intent to awaken the creatures inside. He punched the walls and tossed stones around with his energy.

Something rumbled in the depth of the cave. Cell smirked. He waited for the beast to emerge.

Silence.

Nothing happened.

Snarling in disappointment, Cell slammed his back against the wall and slid to the ground. He groaned, tilting his head back and letting his tall chitin crest hit the wall, propping his head up so that he stared at the blank cave ceiling.

Water dripped in the silence that permeated through the darkness of the cave. Cell sighed, finally getting to his feet. Maybe the creatures were deeper down then he thought.

Sticking to his instincts, he traipsed down into even blacker depths. He wandered for hours, sliding through caverns and tunnels that varied from massive to positively miniscule. Cold, clear water dripped down, cascading over Cell's armor and skin. He shivered from the cold. He was certain that if it were bright enough, he could've seen his own breath. He scanned the darkness around him using his impressive skills of energy sensing and a new technique that was a modified form of echolocation to navigate. His night vision was not fantastic, but it was suitable enough to get him through space, so it would do here.

Finally, the tunnels opened to a wide cavern. Cell could detect the faint sounds of an underground lake in the dark enclosure. He wandered along the shore. Perhaps the creatures here were underwater?

He picked up a stone and threw it into the inky water. It hit the surface with a loud 'plop' and sank rapidly. Ripples scattered out from the point of contact, causing small waves that lapped at Cell's feet.

Again, nothing happened.

The lake was silent. There was nothing to be found here. Cell growled in frustration. What a waste of time. The small waves continued to lap the rocky shore, twinkling in the light.

He sank to the ground and drew his knees up to his chin. This was so dull! So frustrating! Even the warm light in his palm couldn't distract him from his sulking.

Wait.

Cell's eyes widened with surprise as he opened his palm. There, on his snow-white skin, the large diamond he had acquired glowed with a warm, white light. The entire cavern was aglow, the rocks revealed to be shining, multicolored crystals of various size. The massive hall glowed and swam from the light. The whole room became rainbows of beauty. The sight almost took Cell's breath away. Almost.

The diamond in his palm vibrated suddenly. It became burning hot, and Cell yelped from the heat. He dropped the thing instinctively. The diamond fell to the ground, the waves turning to steam upon contact with the scalding, brilliant crystal. Cell watched with growing amazement as the crystal began to float, glowing ever brighter as it lifted itself ever higher. Cell stood as it floated ever higher, staring at the light source until it became too bright and he needed to shield his eyes.

The crystal began to dance over the water, the light it emitted shifting through all the hues of the rainbow. It bounced over the water happily sparkling and bounding as it went along its merry way. Cell lowered his arm to watch the little ball of light dance about. It almost seemed to be mocking him. It was if its movements were designed to tease him. Like it wanted to be caught.

Cell sniffed. If the little ball of light wanted a challenge, then it would get one. He too began to hover. His intent was to drift over the surface of the lake and grab that little ball out of thin air. Perhaps he would even crush the thing as punishment for being so insolent. It slowed as he approached, as if it was waiting for him to draw near.

He crossed the surface, hovering beside the ball of light. With lightning speed, his hand darted after the ball, but the little thing was too quick. It dodged his fingers and bounced away, skirting the walls and bounding into a tunnel. With a feral snarl, Cell began his pursuit.

The ball of light moved faster than Cell expected. He flew through the caves at blinding speed. The little ball of light dancing tantalizingly close to his person. But it always managed to dance just out of reach. Stalactites whipped by his face, occasionally nicking his face or chest. He dodged stalagmites with ease as they appeared before his path.

The dangerous game continued as he raced after the light. The speed caused the wind to deafen him. His eyes focused intently on his tiny goal. Every muscle and nerve strained to avoid slipping to an abysmal accident.

He skidded to a halt. A cliff appeared in front of him unexpectedly. He managed to stop mere inches from the edge. Small pebbles fell over the side. He almost hadn't noticed the cave mouth that they two racers had approached. A roaring waterfall covered the entrance. Cell had almost fallen over the edge to a watery second grave. He looked around, his prey had vanished. With the roar of the waterfall thundering in his ears, he peered over the edge of the cliff.

He couldn't see how far the cliff went down, or how far up it went. But something told him that his prey had passed through the watery curtain. So, he followed, wings outstretched to fly.

He took off. The water hit him hard. The massive force almost knocked him out of the air. Yet, he pushed through. The waterfall opened to a deep ravine. Cell looked over the scene. The waterfall towered high overhead, the lip of the plateau almost out of sight in the light of the full moon. Stars gleamed overhead in a thick blanket of glittering diamonds. Speaking of diamonds, Cell looked down at the small pool at the foot of the falls that trickled off into a small stream that wound its way into a thick deep green forest. Dense tropical trees swayed in the gentle, warm wind. The exotic scents of the thick rainforest flowers filled his nostrils. The water glowed like silver in the light of the moon as it gurgled happily in the tropical scene.

Cell touched down at the pool's edge, facing the foot of the waterfall. The waterfall itself glowed and shimmered like molten silver as it fell hundreds of feet. A nighttime rainbow glowed from the waterfall's vapor that spilled into the night air. Cell's skin and armor was dappled by the droplets, making him sparkle as if covered in tiny diamonds.

There it floated. It hovered at Cell's eye level in the center of the pool. Cell watched as the ball of light grew ever brighter. Sparkles of light danced like embers, skittering over the top of the water.

A bolt of stunning light blinded Cell. He covered his eyes for the second time in the past few minutes. When he opened his eyes again, his jaw dropped.

A vision hovered high overhead of a glittering city of crystal and gold. Each crystal- shaped tower twisted and thrust its spires high into a bright blue sky ringed by two suns. Each piece of architecture seemed to glow with their own light, shimmering like rainbows. Thousands of sharp and elegant silvery machines streamed through the skyline, making the air seem like water. Cell watched with wonder and growing excitement as he saw the inhabitants mill about in the marketplaces and streets. Thousands of different types of beings in all variety of shapes and colors yammered silently in the moving image. A galactic map was superimposed over the scene.

Cell watched hungrily. To him, he was being presented the menu of a great buffet. He was becoming famished simply staring at the image. So many millions of lives that he could drain away and add to his own power! The thought made him giddy. He turned his attention to the glowing diamond.

"Thank you very much, my little Guidestone," he chuckled darkly.

Laughing maniacally, he snatched the glowing diamond from its hovering spot and took off into the night sky. The city's image still glimmered in the water as Cell vanished from sight.

Suddenly, the watery image shifted to show the great city being lapped by tongues of flame. The whole sky aflame, raining down a hailstorm of fire. The image panned out to show the planet being consumed by rings of fire. The whole planet turned from glowing blue-green marble to blazing inferno within seconds. The white-hot ball of light burned brightly for several seconds. Then, the flames were extinguished, leaving a charred, barren wasteland behind.

Then, the image was gone. The chirping of the crickets resumed.


	2. Chapter 2

The gentle night of Hell was fading away to bright dawn. As the inky darkness began to fade, tendrils of yellow light began to snake their way through the sky as they chased the stars away. Hellish fauna began to stir in the underbrush and canopy of the expansive forest. Feathered lizards preened their plumage with sharp beaks, chittering and tweeting all the while.

The serene morning scene was disturbed as a fast-moving blur darted overhead. Hurricane winds followed in its wake. Trees were uprooted, and Hell's animals scampered and shrieked in terrified horror. Some of the feathered lizards attempted to take flight but were scattered by the cyclone.

Cell paid the creatures below no mind as he raced over the heights of the plateau. He checked the river's path underneath his flying form. By his estimate, the direction of the river moved almost perfectly over the path that he had travelled underground. That was certainly a happy coincidence since the opening of the cave mysteriously disappeared.

He remembered flying in circles, getting angrier and angrier with every loop. The ravine that he found was nowhere near any place in Hell that Cell had explored before. Trying to find his way back was near impossible. Cell halted and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Okay," he growled to himself, "I'll just go back through the caves. That appears to be the only logical choice."

He clenched the crystal in his right hand. Damn this thing! He turned to fly back to the waterfall. The night wind was growing colder as he flew quickly to his destination. He glanced at the diamond.

"I hope you're worth this inconvenience," he snarled at it.

He landed at the pool again. He craned his neck up high while peering closely at the rock face. He was trying to distinguish the mouth of the cave hidden behind the deluge of water. But his initial investigation resulted in a resounding failure. He could not see anything behind the powerful wall of water.

Gritting his teeth, Cell continued his investigation by plowing through the waterfall. Again, he felt the weight of the water slap the air from his lungs momentarily. However, he easily pushed himself through and now stood behind the waterfall.

Cell gracefully flew up the rockface, hugging the rock close to his person. The roaring waterfall plunged at his back, ready to swat him out of the sky if he ventured too close. The teeth of the rock whipped past the android's face and chest with mere millimeters to spare. Cell felt his adrenaline rise from the thrill as the narrow gap between pain and destruction rushed past him at blinding speed. The gap was narrowing now. Cell felt his heartbeat roar in his ears. It thundered along, racing faster with unbridled glee. This is why he was the supreme being!

His face was the first thing to break the waterfall with an earth-shattering strike. He soared over the lip of the plateau and touched down beside the lazy river's edge. He peered over the edge of the cliff face, staring down the length of the waterfall. While the ride had been amusing, he had failed to find the entrance to the cave.

" _Perhaps in my excitement, I lost track of it_ ," Cell thought.

He dived. Plunging through the waterfall again, he slipped between the rock and water again. He slowly descended this time, being sure to thoroughly check the rockface so that he could find his objective. He landed again. Perplexed, Cell repeated the dive twice more. On his final landing, Cell could only conclude one thing:

The entrance to the caves was lost.

"DAMMIT!" he screamed, punching the plateau in frustration. The tall mountain shook, cracks appearing down its sheer face from the power of his punch. He landed again, staring up at the entrance-less waterfall.

He then made the decision to try and find his way back by going over the plateau, not under. With careful consideration, Cell mapped out his path and then took flight. He broke through the water with an almighty splash, then turned his attention skyward. He was over the lip of the plateau in seconds, charging headfirst into the light of the oncoming dawn.

That was several hours ago, and now the sun had fully risen above the horizon. Cell hadn't stopped moving since his unwelcome discovery forced him to move on. He soared overhead, never tiring from the flight.

His hand grew warm. Cell slowed to look at the crystal. It sat there, in the palm of his hand, glowing slightly and warming his skin as it sparkled in the dawn's light. Cell frowned. His glimmering guide might be trying to lead him somewhere. He extended his hand in front of him, dangerously letting the precious gem balance precariously on his hand in the whipping wind.

It cooled as he wavered away from the river. Cell corrected his course to follow the flowing water and the crystal warmed accordingly.

"So, I must be on the right track after all," Cell smirked to himself.

The sun was high in the sky when he finally saw the familiar reddish mountain peaks near the Blood Fountain. Cell gleefully picked up the pace as the little stone grew warmer and warmer with every passing inch.

"It seems you and I have the same goal," Cell addressed the stone in his fingertips.

The diamond glittered in the sunlight, almost as if it was agreeing with him.

Cell bounded over the lip of the mountains, the stone burnt his fingers now. But he held on as he continued onward. He raced as fast as he could to the Blood Fountain. The stone was scalding him now. The heat was almost intolerable!

The stone went cold. At the unexpected sensation, Cell stopped in midair. He glowered at the rock and was about to forcefully demand an explanation but was distracted by movement in his periphery.

At the base of the Blood Fountain, Freeza's army was rebelling again. Cell rolled his eyes at the futile display. Freeza was leading the charge, firing beam after red beam at the ogre army pushing his forces back. The Freeza Force was faring little better against the overwhelming numbers. Cell watched as the entire Ginyu Force was thrown clear over the height of the Blood Fountain by a single, massive ogre wearing a "taco-cat" t-shirt. How embarrassing for them, and amusing for him. Cell smirked.

"Those nitwits are wasting their time," he muttered.

He turned his attention back to the crystal. It was still cold as ice.

"Well?" Cell demanded.

Suddenly, his hand holding the stone seized up without Cell's volition. His arm jerked up against his freewill, and he was yanked forcefully forward as if he was glued to the back of a jet engine. Cell tried to resist, digging his feet into the ground as hard as he could, but it only served to yank his arm out of its socket. Cell yelped in pain and the momentary break in his resistance allowed the force to drag him forward. Cell had to run to keep up and prevent further damage to his shoulder.

The warring armies paid Cell no mind as he darted past them towards a cave entrance that Cell had never seen before.

" _Was that always here_?" he thought.

The pulling force picked up speed, and Cell was now struggling to keep pace. He raced up a long, narrow flight of stone steps carved into the cave floor. It seemed to go on endlessly as he travelled higher and higher.

" _I must be higher than the mountains now_ ," Cell thought absently, now feeling utterly out of control of his own body.

Cell burst into bright light, a pink sky, and a long road that looked like it was carved onto the top of a blue snake's back. Making a sharp left, the force dragged his body along the yellow path at breakneck speed.

" _I've never seen this part of Hell before_ ," Cell took in the time to sightsee as best he could. Beyond the lip of the road, there was a great expanse of yellow clouds that carpeted the horizon. It almost looked like he was flying _over_ the clouds of Hell. But he could not be certain because the scenery moved by too fast for him to see much detail.

He felt his arm begin to quickly repair itself to perfect condition again as the force turned right down a fork in the path. This part of the road sloped downward, back into the clouds. As he neared them, Cell could feel the air turn to mist, and the air became thick from pressure.

Then, the force vanished. Cell stumbled forward, tripping over himself. He tumbled head over heels several times before he skidded on his rump to a halt at the edge of the cloud bank. Cell stood and brushed himself off, glad that no one had seen his embarrassing fall.

He looked at the rolling clouds at his feet. Then he looked at the crystal in his hand.

"You want me to step into the clouds, don't you?" he asked. He almost slapped himself. He was talking to a rock!

A rock that had just dragged him here as if he was a piece of paper. If Cell hadn't been so consumed by his wounded pride, he would have been in awe of the tiny rock. However, he didn't appreciate being treated like a doll.

"I'm not going in there," he told the rock.

The rock, of course, did nothing.

With a huff, Cell turned to head back to the main part of the road. Only to find that the path had entirely vanished behind him.

"Not again," Cell pinched the bridge of his nose, "Fine!" he snapped, "I'll go in! But only because you're giving me no other option!"

Cell moved forward. As soon as Cell's feet were swallowed by the clouds, the road beneath him disappeared. Cell plunged downward into darkness. A great pressure began to both crush and pull apart his entire body. The experience was horrifying as Cell felt his body simultaneously be crushed to an atomic size and pulled apart to a galactic scale. His senses were useless. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he registered that he was screaming in pain.

Cell hit solid ground hard. Lying face down for a moment, Cell realized that the horror was over. He lifted his head to find himself lying face down in a dead forest. Every tree looked blackened and burned. The sky was a mustard yellow, with wispy, smoky grey clouds. Hundreds of pits filled with black, bubbling liquid pockmarked the scene. The place was eerily silent and devoid of life. Not even a single leaf had a spark of Ki.

Cell scrunched up his face as his nose was assaulted by the smell of decay. He felt his innards churn with revulsion at the pungent smell of death. His eyes began to water as more black bubbles burst in the deep tar-like pits that ravaged the bleak landscape, releasing yellowish clouds of putrid sulfur. Cell pinched his nose and grunted involuntarily in a vain attempt to blot out the wretched air.

" _By all that is perfect, this place is revolting,"_ Cell thought, _"Even after_ _inferior creatures die, they still leave behind a putrid stain. It's as if you can never escape the defects of imperfect life!"_

With a mood as foul as the thick air around him, Cell trudged on. His feet sucked deep into the mud comprised of half rotting debris and half soot mixed together with burning sulfur. Cell sank to his calves in the muck, and he shivered with disgust at the uncomfortable, dirty intrusion of his perfect body. As he waded through the decaying mire, his feet squelched loudly in his ears. The muck splashed his face, chest and arms. With every black drop that touched his body, Cell winced as if stung.

Finally, he reached ground that was a little more stable, and he now only sank a few centimeters into the mud. But now he faced the obstacle of the blackened twisted corpses of the trees and their thick, tangled roots. He picked his way around the remains, still clutching his face with one hand and the stone in the other.

Cell glanced at the stone for the first time since he had touched down on this perfection-forsaken world. Miraculously, the stone was untouched by black mud. It still sparkled as clean as the moment Cell had picked it up. It was as if the stone was mocking him with its cleanliness. Cell had the urge to crush it, but since he now had no way back without it, he reluctantly refrained.

Several hours passed languidly by in near silence as Cell continued to follow the heat of the crystal. He was scaling a particularly tall surface root when the silence was broken with the sound of a snapping twig. The noise was as loud as a gunshot in the silence.

Cell froze. An ominous sense of dread crept over him like an icy cold blanket. A loud rhythmic sniffing could be heard behind him. He looked down.

A creature the size of a large bear was gazing up at him from the foot of the fallen tree. It was long and bony thin, covered in shiny black skin and six long feline legs. Its long, whip like tail made a faint whistling noise as it languidly waved its tail through the air. It raised its canine muzzle, sniffing the air curiously. It looked curiously up at Cell, as if gauging what to do with the hovering android.

"Begone!" Cell snarled, firing a blast at the thing.

The ground exploded at the creature's feet. Cell's eyes widened as the creature didn't flinch. Its skeletal, hairless form continued to stare unblinkingly up at him.

Cell was now feeling truly unsettled. Any normal animal would have turned tail and run. Cell didn't want to waste energy killing it, but this thing clearly hadn't learned. He raised his hand again. The creature responded by unhinging its jaw, exposing row upon row of yellow fangs held between a net of black gums and saliva.

The sound that burst forth from the creature's mouth curdled Cell's blood. It was as if Cell heard the screams of every one of his victims pouring out of this creatures' maw. Cell felt his eyes grow even wider as the noise began to shake the surrounding trees. Black spit flew from its mouth in viscous ribbons, splattering the already filthy rotting woods. Rocks and debris crumbled to dust by the soundwaves. The creature's beady black eyes rolled back in its head, letting the red and white backs bulge unnaturally out.

It closed its jaw and pounced. With the hideous sound still ringing in his ears, Cell drew back a fist and punched the oncoming creature square in the jaw. A repulsive crunching noise emanated from the back of the animal's skull as its head was whipped violently backwards. It fell to the ground with a sickening thud, its cranial vertebrae shattered beyond repair, head lolling abnormally on its back.

Cell landed on the ground, admiring his handiwork for a moment. The force of his punch had knocked the creature's jaw off, so the lower mandible dangled uselessly in a fold of skin. But Cell hadn't damaged it beyond inspection. Now curious and a little eager to learn more about his bizarre surroundings, Cell bent over the corpse and touched the shoulder of his kill. The skin was spongy, cold, and clammy. It was almost like the thing was dead for several months already.

"Hmm," Cell muttered, now preoccupied with playing scientist, "This thing must have been hungry for a while. But it didn't die of starvation, so this area must have been destroyed recently."

Cell continued to run his hands along the creature, noting the thin texture of its skin. It almost appeared like this thing had no internal organs, like someone had draped skin over a skeleton. Cell's fingers dipped low between the gorges of the creature's ribcage. Cell then checked the creature's paws. He pushed the pad of one heavy paw, and four-inch black claws unsheathed themselves.

"Retractable," Cell noted absently before moving to the creature's head.

"Interesting mix of feline and canine," Cell muttered, tugging on one pointed ear and gingerly touching the tip of a fang, "I wonder how you were able to sneak up on me."

Cell stood, his curiosity satiated. It was now time to move on.

Suddenly, the creature twitched.

Cell backed away from the creature with growing horror as it got back to its paws with spasmodic motions. Its head twisted around, its spine snapping and crackling as its head slid back into place. It's bulging eyes never left Cell's frozen form as it swung its head with two jerky movements. The lower jaw snapped back into place with a nauseating crunch.

The creature roared, spitting more saliva at Cell. This time, however, the black droplets burnt holes into the ground like acid.

Before Cell could register what was transpiring before him, the creature leapt. Cell raised the hand holding the crystal to defend himself as he turned to avoid the creature's pounce. But Cell was a fraction of a second too slow. Cell's hand burned with unbearable pain as the animal's fangs sliced his index finger clean off.

Cell stumbled backward, purple blood leaking copiously onto the crystal in his now four-fingered hand. He clutched his wound with his free hand, hissing with pain.

The creature turned to pounce again. This time intent on getting its fangs around his throat.

" _Run_ ," a voice in his head commanded, cutting through the pain.

Cell obeyed, turning and fleeing.

He did not have time to register the trees and roots as he instinctively dodged each of them. He tried to fly, but the intense pain from his hand was spreading up his arm, both making his head oddly fuzzy and distracting him enough so that he could not muster up the energy needed to take to the sky. For the first time in his life, Cell felt like prey.

Terror welled in his chest as he heard the terrifying monster crashing through the forest behind him. It was far faster than Cell could have expected, if he made one false move, then he'd be finished.

He burst into a foggy clearing, his breath coming in sharp gasps. His design may allow him to survive anywhere, but something here was sapping his strength fast. He could feel his power draining like water being poured down an open drain. In his near exhaustion, he tripped over his own feet and fell to the ground. The creature was hot on his heels, and he scrambled on his hands to continue his frantic fleeing.

Trees blocked Cell's path. Without the power to fly or knock them down he was helpless. He turned, time seemed to slow to a crawl, at the same moment the creature burst into the clearing. The air seemed to shimmer as if Cell was underwater.

The beast halted. It cocked its head and sniffed. Cell stared at it, wondering in horrified curiosity why it had stopped when it very clearly had him cornered in its sights. It growled and circled, sniffing every inch of the clearing. Cell's heartbeat rose faster and faster as it drew nearer to his location. It was inches away now. Cell felt beads of sweat fall from his brow and into his eyes, stinging and blurring his vision.

The creature passed by without even acknowledging Cell's presence. Cell didn't dare breathe a sigh of relief, it could easily still find him.

Suddenly, the creature froze. Cell barely dared to breathe. Terror welled up in his body, and he shook like a leaf as he heard more rustling.

A hazy shape of a woman entered the foggy clearing. The creature whipped its head around, spotting its prey. It pounced, ready to kill. Cell opened his mouth to warn her.

"Get down, you stupid thing!" Cell heard her voice cut through the fog.

The noise of a punch or kick was heard, followed by the pained yelps of the animal. It skittered by Cell's hiding spot, bony tail between its legs. It curled up at the foot of a nearby tree, whimpering and shivering. It looked up plaintively as the woman fully appeared in Cell's view.

Cell flinched in horror as he took in her appearance. Like the creature shivering at her feet, the woman was bony, almost skeletally thin. Her long, black cape and dress only accentuated the sickliness of her sallow skin and hunched posture. Two small, black, feathery wings protruded from her back, looking torn and battle scarred. Her face was thin and pinched, marred by scars and unnaturally sharp cheekbones. Her three eyes were fiery red, with no irises or pupils to be found. Long, thin tapered ears swept high into the air. One appeared to have a chunk missing, like it was bitten off. Her black hair was long and swirled in the still air like smoke. Her demonic appearance was crowned by two large, ram-like horns twisting around her ears and a small broken horn on her forehead.

Her thick, dirty claws gripped the creature's face as she jerked it's head up to meet her gaze.

"Where did it go?" her voice was both raspy and high pitched, like nails on a chalkboard.

The creature shivered and whimpered.

"I am your master!" she yelled directly into its face, large catlike fangs spat saliva, "You _will_ lead me to the source of that smell. Filthy dog! It can't have just _disappeared_!"

The demonic woman turned away from her animal with a derisive sniff and stalked the clearing, sniffing and scanning the trees with her eyes. Several times, Cell almost thought that her eyes had landed on him, each time making his heart leap into his throat. But she always passed over him, as if he was not even there. Apparently furious, she pulled something small out of her pocket that Cell could not see.

"I've almost missed my mandatory check-in," she growled, "I'd better call Usir and let him know what you found."

She crushed something in her fist, releasing a cloud of thick, black smoke. The wisps congealed into a floating circle of darkness that occasionally shot sparks of dark purple into the air. It swirled for several moments, and the woman watched it intently.

Then, deep within the darkness, an image began to appear. From what Cell could see of it, it appeared to be a silvery coat of arms, but he didn't know what kind of beasts flanked the strange symbols. So, he had no clue about who the woman was and who she was calling.

The woman looked horrified.

"She's onboard!" the woman squeaked, "Oh no!"

Cell's curiosity stirred at her reaction.

The image vanished, an in its place two beautiful eyes stared back at the shaking woman. They looked like two deep, sparkling pools of water. Long, red lashes blinked casually at the scene presented before them. They seemed to stare directly into Cell's soul, despite being hidden. Cell felt his heart flutter, it was not an unpleasant feeling.

The piercing blue eyes spoke.

"Who is this?"

That voice. Cell's body grew warm. That sound was so pleasant. It was like listening to the sound of crystal bells.

The demonic woman bowed.

"Great Demon Queen, it is one of your humble servants, Priestess Xirana."

"Xirana?"

The eyes spoke again, and Cell felt his body melt. He could listen to those pretty, blue eyes for the rest of eternity.

"Oh, the scout. Correct?"

"Yes, Majesty. You asked Priest Usir to send scouts to locate the source of the-."

"Yes, yes. The energy signal, I know. Did you find it?"

"No, Majesty. One of my beasts was following something that _may_ have been the source. But it vanished suddenly without a trace."

"What!" the blue eyes flashed scarlet, "Nothing that could mimic such a strong signal could disappear completely you idiot! Search again!"

The voice was upset. Maybe he should reveal himself to calm her down. Anything to make her happy.

" _Silver Tongue_ ," a voice whispered in the back of his mind again.

Cell jumped, awakened from his stupor as if he'd been splashed by ice cold water. At the same moment, the woman called Xirana fell to the ground, bowing and shivering in fear.

"Yes, Majesty!" she shrieked in pleading terror, "I will search again!"

"Don't call me back until you find it, understand?" the scarlet eyes snarled, "I don't want my precious time _wasted_ anymore!"

The eyes vanished in a puff of black smoke. Rising to her feet, Xirana leveled her gaze at the creature. It cocked its head and panted happily up at its master.

"You stupid thing!" Xirana snarled, "I bet you followed some animal instead of the signal, didn't you?" She drew herself up to her full height and loomed menacingly over the creature in her shadow, "Now the Queen is going to have my head if I don't find the source of that signal!" her voice rose in pitch as she continued her accusations, "It's all your fault for getting distracted!"

Xirana kicked the creature and it yelped in pain as it was launched high into the air. Xirana snatched the creature out of the air and in one fluid motion, impaled her animal onto sharp tree branches. The creature thrashed and squealed in its death throws as it was pushed along the entire length of the branches, until its back slammed into the thick trunk. Black blood poured out of its gaping wounds as its screeches grew shriller. With a final thrash, the creature's voice gargled to silence as it drowned in its own blood. She gave a derisive sniff, and Cell assumed that Xirana was finished. However, with one more motion, Xirana ripped another sharp branch off another tree and jammed it through the creature's upper jaw, and through one of its eyes.

Looking pleased, Xirana turned away from the grizzly hanging corpse. She spread her small wings and took off. Cell didn't move until her figure had vanished into the yellowish sky.


	3. Chapter 3

After what felt like hours, after Xirana had vanished, Cell gingerly moved out into the clearing. Cell didn't bother to look at the dangling animal's corpse. The only thing that Cell acknowledged bout the creature's death was a tiny sliver of vindication that the thing that damaged and frightened him had met a gruesome end.

Carefully moving about the dead forest, Cell tried his best to avoid any further confrontations. But that task was turning out to be more and more difficult as he trudged through the myriad of mire. Each step felt unusually heavy, and he often tripped over himself. His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton. His body randomly spasmed.

After an eternity, Cell emerged from the forest. It opened to a wide, empty valley that looked as barren as a desert. Cell stumbled forward. As he traipsed downwards, he felt his vision swim.

Something hot hit his face. Cell flinched as the point burned. He touched the spot with a free finger and the tip of his finger was singed. Cell yipped in pain.

Then another hot pinprick hit his shoulder. The another. And another.

The downpour of acid scalded Cell's already damaged body. Cell tried to cover his face with his hands to avoid the pain, but to no avail. In his delirious state, Cell began to awkwardly sprint to the bottom of the ravine. Cell yelped and howled as each stream of acid burned deep into his armor.

Then, in the faint distance, Cell saw salvation through the yellowish haze. A cave sat invitingly halfway up the ravine. Cell's breath came in dogged, harried bursts as his chest spasmed irregularly. He made a desperate dive for the entrance. And suddenly, he was enveloped by inviting, dry darkness.

He hit the ground with a heavy thud. Cell cursed as the dirt of the cave ground into his open wounds. Desperate to get as far away from the rain as he could, Cell crawled as best as he could to the far end of the cave.

Shivering in agony, Cell curled up in the corner, letting the crystal fall out of his numb fingers.

He remained curled in a ball for several minutes, his wounds sealing painstakingly slowly. Cell growled in frustration, his strength was almost gone. Drained and delirious, Cell raised his four-fingered hand in front of his face.

"Grow back, damn you!" he slurred as menacingly as he could.

The world spun as Cell's finger and burns refused to heal. Cell's vision began to be eaten away by black spots.

" _I'm fainting_ ," a tiny part of Cell's brain realized, " _I've never fainted before. It feels funny_."

Cell giggled.

His vison was gone now.

" _I think I'm going to take a little nap_ ," Cell giggled as he remembered Krillin's groans of agony.

" _I think I'm going to take a nap_ ," the phrase swirled in his head like a mantra, making Cell giggle harder.

" _I'm going to take a nap_ ," it felt like the most natural thing in the world now. Cell couldn't even tell if he was laughing now. He'd gone deaf.

" _Take a nap."_

" _Take_."

" _Nap_."

"…"

The acid rain fell heavily onto the ground. The noise was nearly deafening as it hit the ground. But the cave's unconscious occupant could pay it no mind. Then, somewhere in the distance, a high-pitched noise could be heard through the rain. As the noise grew closer, the noise clarified into a merry tune. An old man, holding a thick black umbrella to protect himself from the rain, strode into the cave.

"This seems like the perfect spot to stay dry," the old man smiled, closing his umbrella.

He set it out of the rain and adjusted his suit jacket. He rummaged in his pockets for several seconds, before pulling out a silver teardrop from an inner coat pocket. He crushed it, and white smoke congealed into firewood. He casually tossed the logs over his shoulder, and they landed in a neat pile in the center of the cave. Still rummaging in his pockets, the old man casually flicked a finger at the logs, and they ignited into a cheery fire.

His grey eyes scanned the brightly lit room as he lifted another silver teardrop from another deep pocket. His eyes widened as his gaze fell onto the slumped, bloody form of Cell hunched in the back corner.

"Oh my!"

The old man gasped and dropped the teardrop, which exploded into food and cooking utensils, and dashed over to Cell. He crouched over Cell, checking his injuries.

"This isn't good," he muttered, rummaging in his pockets again.

The old man crushed a third teardrop, and a vile of pink, bubbling liquid fell into his hand.

"Okay, son," the old man said to the unresponsive android, "I'll need you to drink this. It's the antivenom."

The old man tipped Cell's head back, pouring the viscous liquid down the fallen warrior's throat.

"Hopefully, your throat hasn't closed entirely," the old man muttered, carefully scanning Cell for signs of life.

Continuous came back in bubbles, like bursts of light and sound that floated in a sea of nothingness. Slowly, Cell could feel his muscles twitch and stir. Something was tingling in the back of his throat and coating his mouth with an exotic flavor. Each apart of his body slowly came back to existence. Cell slowly opened his eyes.

And promptly shut them again as he was blinded by light. Steeling himself, Cell forced his eyes open. The sight before him was so unexpected that Cell wasn't sure if he was dreaming.

An old man sporting a crisp black three-piece suit was sitting by a fire, stirring something in a pot. The old man hummed softly in a deep baritone. Grey eyes met pink.

"Good morning, young man!" he said cheerily, "How are you feeling?"

"Uh," Cell groaned as he tried to get to his feet, but he wobbled uncontrollably.

The old man was suddenly at his side, steadying Cell.

"Careful now," he said, "that venom did a number on you. You're lucky I found you when I did."

"Venom?" Cell rasped, his mouth felt parched and hoarse.

The old man helped Cell sit down by the fire and handed the groggy android a mug of warm water.

"Drink," the old man said, sitting back down and continuing to stir.

Cell obliged, secretly grateful for the life-giving liquid.

The old man eyed Cell as he drunk, and Cell kept his eyes wearily locked on his rescuer over the lip of the mug. Cell finished his drink and cautiously lowered the mug to his lap.

"Who are you?" Cell asked, his voice a little less scratchy.

The old man's countenance brightened. Cell remained stony.

"Dear boy, there are very few souls who do not know me by sight!" the old man chuckled.

"I'm not from here," Cell growled, "So tell me who you are."

The old man frowned at Cell's hostile tone.

"Clearly you're not from here," the man noted Cell's appearance, "So, I'll tell you who I am after you answer my question."

"I grow impatient, old man," Cell growled.

"It's only one simple question, boy."

"Fine."

The old man leaned forward, his cheery face suddenly shifting to deadly, "Then answer: Danian or Kaelin?"

Cell tilted his head, lost at the old man's babble. Apparently, Cell's reaction was enough for the old man, and he leaned away from Cell and rubbed his beard.

"Well, by the Empress's Wings," the old man gasped, "You have come a long way."

"Your name, old man?" Cell interrogated roughly.

"Well, dear boy, my name is Ziodon the Traveler," Ziodon extended his hand to shake Cell's, "And who did I have the pleasure of saving?"

Cell awkwardly took the hand. He'd never shaken the hand of another before, and his discomfort was etched deep into his face.

"Cell," he said gruffly, quickly retrieving his hand.

"Cell?" Ziodon asked, "Interesting name. So, tell me, Cell, how did you get here? And how did you get bitten?"

"How did you know I was bitten?" Cell recoiled.

"There's only one thing that creates such a potent, destructive venom," Ziodon's face darkened, "And I am more than familiar with those Kaling Beasts."

"The what?"

"Kaling Beasts," Ziodon explained, "Reanimated corpses that are controlled by a Kaelin Priestess."

"Reanimated corpses?" a light went on in Cell's mind, "That explains it."

Ziodon cocked his head. Cell lifted his hand with the missing finger. Ziodon's eyes widened with understanding.

"It smelled you. You tried to kill it. It bit your finger off instead," Ziodon concluded.

Cell nodded.

"Well, if losing a finger is the worst that happened to you when you tangled with a Kaling, then I'd say you've been blessed by a miracle."

"I guess."

The two men fell into an awkward silence. The crackling, merry fire danced between them. Sparks flew in every direction, skittering along in the air. As the minutes passed, Cell could slowly feel his strength returning.

"Why did you save me?"

Ziodon looked back at Cell.

"I wasn't about to let a young man die!"

"Joke's on you, old man, I'm already dead."

Ziodon looked as if Cell had spontaneously sprouted a second head.

"Are you in danger?" Ziodon asked.

"What? No!" Cell pointed to his halo, "don't you see this?"

"See what?" Ziodon looked rather alarmed.

"The halo, old man!" Cell snarled in annoyance, "I've been dead for the past 10 years! I'm a denizen of Hell, just like you!"

Understanding blossomed in Ziodon's eyes.

"Cell," he asked gently, "How did you get here? Where did you come from?"

"I'd rather not answer that," Cell folded his arms. He wasn't about to tell this stranger all his most embarrassing escapades.

"Well, where do you think you are?" Ziodon asked.

"Hell, obviously," Cell snorted.

Ziodon shook his head. He reached into his coat again and pulled out a gleaming pocket watch. He handed it to Cell.

"Take a good look, son."

Cell glanced at his perfect face in the reflective surface. He stared into his own reddish-pink eyes. He saw that his purple stripes beneath his eyes were still in pristine condition. His yellow chinstrap and ears looked as they always had. His handsome features were just as perfect as the day he absorbed Android 18. His green crest sported the same spots as always, in addition to splattering of dirt.

But no yellow halo hung over his head.

Cell's eyes widened.

"I'm alive!" Cell gasped, half-stunned, half-consumed by evil glee.

Ziodon nodded.

"You're on the Class- G Planet, Hluir. Orbiting the Frengi star in the Uli system. Well, I guess this is a Class- K planet now."

"That means nothing to me," Cell frowned.

"Class- G planets contain non-sentient life. Class- K planets are extinct via non-natural means."

Cell frowned. That wasn't what he meant.

"I mean, where am I?" Cell hissed.

"Oh!" Ziodon rummaged again, "Let me get you a map!"

Ziodon crushed another teardrop, revealing a galactic map. One that Cell had seen before!

"You're here," Ziodon pointed to a spot on the farthest edge of the map. Where Ziodon touched, the map glowed red.

Cell leaned back, trying to act casual. If he played his cards right, the old man could lead him to his feast.

"So, where are you from?" Cell asked.

"Here," Ziodon pointed to a planet on almost the opposite side of the map. The spot glowed blue.

"My home planet is called Serix."

"Is it the only planet with sentient life?" Cell pretended to be curious.

Ziodon shook his head.

"Sorry, son, that's classified."

Cell was taken aback. Anger boiled in the pit of his stomach, but he quashed it temporarily.

"Classified! Why?"

Ziodon shook his head.

"Can you at least tell me where I can go?" Cell snarled.

Ziodon shook his head again.

Now Cell was well and truly furious.

"Old man!" Cell stood to his full height, "I demand you tell me how I get off this perfection-forsaken rock! If you don't, then I'll have to torture the information out of you!"

Ziodon looked taken aback. Then, his face turned very dark.

"I'd kill you before you'd have the chance, kid," Ziodon growled.

Cell laughed.

"You have no idea who you are talking to, maggot!"

"Oh?" Ziodon stood, looking unimpressed, "Then enlighten me."

As fast as lightning, Cell blasted a red, bullet-like stream of Ki at the old man. The blast whizzed by Ziodon's head, cutting his cheek and boring a deep hole into the wall.

Ziodon froze.

Cell grinned.

Ziodon touched his cheek, staring, stunned at the red blood on his fingers. He looked back at Cell.

"What are you?" Ziodon asked.

"The perfect weapon," Cell stalked towards the old man.

Cell was a mere foot away from Ziodon when a fist connected with his face. Cell spun from the immense force of the impact. He backtracked, shaking the stars from his eyes. He looked back at Ziodon who had taken a defensive posture.

"Perfect weapon," Ziodon sneered, "more like a china doll."

Cell darted forward, only to receive a heavy foot to his chest for his trouble. Cell tripped over a burning log and sprawled pathetically on the ground. Now Ziodon was the one who stalked forward.

Cell spotted the crystal on the ground near his fingertips. Cell snatched it up, intent on throwing the heavy, dense object with all his might between the old man's eyes.

Ziodon froze. Cell paused mid-throw.

A dumbfounded look fell over Ziodon's face. He pointed a shaking hand at the crystal.

"Where did you get that?"

Cell frowned, looking at the crystal.

"I found it."

Ziodon's eyes seemed to bug out of his head. He then leaned forward, looking around as if someone was listening in.

"Has it" Ziodon whispered, " _done_ anything unusual?"

Cell narrowed his eyes. He suddenly had the urge to take the crystal and run. He wasn't even sure he should tell the truth.

" _Tell him_ ," that voice whispered in the back of his mind.

"It brought me here," Cell admitted.

Ziodon fell backward. He clutched at his chest as if he was having a heart attack. Ziodon panicked as he scrambled to the side of the cave, trying to use the wall to hoist himself back onto his feet. The old man failed miserably.

"My dear boy," Ziodon wheezed, "you need to go."

Ziodon suddenly was a whirlwind of flustered activity. Cell could only stare in confusion as the old man thrust a bowl of what appeared to be stew into his hands.

"Eat to get your strength up!" Ziodon commanded as he stomped out the fire.

"I do not eat," Cell said numbly.

"Nonsense!" Ziodon frantically packed his utensils into a glowing orb.

"Really," Cell insisted, "I'm fine. See."

Ziodon looked up from his tasks. Cell held up his hand with the missing finger. Suddenly, the grey of the burnt flesh began to bubble and contort. Ziodon watched with growing amazement as a new finger burst forth, replacing itself.

"I am back to full strength," Cell sat the full bowl in front of the surprised old man.

"What are you?" the old man asked again.

"I am Cell," Cell responded.

"Well, Cell," Ziodon said, pulling out his map, "The nearest inhabited planet is called Pokwa. It's here."

Ziodon pointed to a spot on the map about half an inch closer to the center of the galactic map. The dot indicating Pokwa glowed yellow.

"Once you're there," Ziodon continued, "head to the city of Guken, find a tavern called the 'Bronze Anchor Inn' and ask for a bartender named Zia. Tell her that Seven sent you. Tell no one of your destination."

"But I thought that-."

"Don't worry about it!" Ziodon snapped, "What we need is to get you away from Usir's scouts, this planet is crawling with them."

"How did you-?"

"Where is your destination?" Ziodon suddenly grabbed Cell's shoulders.

"Planet Pokwa. Guken City. Bronze Anchor Inn. Ask for Zia. Seven sent me," Cell repeated, unnerved by the man's behavior and close proximity.

Ziodon nodded.

"One more thing, Cell, about that crystal," Ziodon insisted, "It knows what it's doing. _Trust_ it."

"What?"

Cell was more confused than ever now. Ziodon released his shoulders and finished his packing.

"What's going on?" Cell demanded.

"I can't say anymore," Ziodon said, "But there is someone who can."

Ziodon turned to the exit.

"Wait!"

Ziodon froze at the mouth of the cave.

"How can I trust this thing if I don't know what it wants?" Cell snarled in aggravation and confusion.

"Well, dear boy, if I were you," Ziodon jauntily placed his top hat onto his head with a flourish and moved back to the cave opening so that he could open his black umbrella. He glanced over his shoulder to meet Cell's confused stare with a knowing smile, "I'd _ask_ what it wants."

With a tip of his hat, he exited the cave and into the rain. In a few moments, the jaunty traveler's outline vanished into the downpour of acid rain.


	4. Chapter 4

The acid rain slowed to a trickle as Cell stared after the spot where Ziodon disappeared. Cell growled in frustration. His head was throbbing from the first headache of his life. He glanced at the crystal in his hand and felt his head become even worse.

"You've turned my life into a real mess, you know that?" he snarled, "I should just leave you here and save myself the trouble."

" _But you won't_ ," the voice in his head giggled.

"You're right," Cell growled, glaring back into the slowing rain, "I won't."

" _You know you have no chance without me_ ," the voice continued.

"Do I?" Cell asked, "or are you making me think that?"

Cell jerked suddenly as he realized he was talking to thin air. He clenched the crystal hard in his hand, the pointed end of the rock pierced his skin. Purple blood trickled onto the crystal.

" _I must be losing my mind_ ," Cell thought.

The rain fully stopped. The air smelled smoky and burnt, rather than clean and fresh. More death and destruction. Cell almost enjoyed the smell. It reminded him of the good old days. The times where he was the most powerful, feared creature in the universe.

Cell sighed.

That was a long time ago. Since then, he had been defeated and surpassed time and time again. He was obsolete. He balled his fists even tighter.

" _I may be obsolete now_ ," Cell internally growled, " _but I will be back in top form soon."_

Cell's mind swam with visions of the gleaming city. The planets that he would encounter on his way. The billions of lives that would add to his power. Cell imagined his fiery power overwhelm the universe. Billions of lives consumed that skyrocketed him to new heights of power with every life lost.

Cell laughed. Cold and Malicious.

"I believe its time for me to begin my little excursion," Cell chuckled.

He placed his fingers just above the spot between his eyes. He focused on his destination, stretching his Ki sensing abilities to their limits. In the distance, he detected the glimmering life force of Planet Pokwa. Cell grinned. It was quite the active little marble, filled with life energy.

" _Don't try it_ ," the voice said.

"Shut up!" Cell snarled.

Cell vanished in a blur as his Instant Transmission technique carried him to his destination.

He returned a moment later, screaming in pain. He doubled over, clutching his stomach. His head throbbed with pain as if it had been crushed by a vice. He dry- heaved, desperate for air. His dizziness brought him to his knees.

" _I told you_ ," the voice giggled, " _They have Meta-Space Inhibitors active all over this galaxy. You can't go anywhere without conventional drives._ "

Cell slumped onto the floor, shaking like a leaf. In his agony, he managed to glare at the crystal.

"And you didn't tell me that before, because-?" he managed to spit out from between gritted teeth.

" _Because you would've tried it anyway_ ," the voice sounded nonchalant.

"Damn you," Cell growled, rolling onto his back and covering his eyes with his open palm.

" _Do you kiss your mother with that mouth_?"

"I don't have a mother," Cell groaned.

" _Well that certainly explains a few things_ ," the voice scoffed.

"Shut up," Cell moaned.

" _You're the first person I've been able to talk to in over 17 billion years_ ," the voice took on a feminine quality, " _I'm not going quiet anytime soon_."

"Then can you say something _helpful_?" Cell bellowed.

" _Temper. Temper_ ," she tutted.

Cell roared, leaping to his feet. He furiously tried to crush the shiny rock between his hands. She merely laughed as Cell struggled and grunted, unable to crush her to powder. Her amusement served to enrage Cell further, and he threw her to the ground. He stomped on her as hard as he could, merely getting stabbed by the pointed side. Cell yipped and recoiled, the crystal visibly vibrating from amusement. Her mocking reverberated in his head as Cell released a volley of rapid-fire blasts at her. Dust and debris rose in thick clouds, obscuring Cell's vision.

The dust settled, revealing the crystal, unmarred by his attacks.

" _You done_?" she asked.

Cell panted, his rage barely contained. He was simply too dumbfounded to continue his fit.

"What are you made of?" he finally gasped.

" _Indestruct-tanium_."

"Really?"

" _No_!"

Cell eyed the crystal wearily. He circled it cautiously, unsure how to proceed. He could feel it watching him.

"What are you?" he broke the silence.

" _A shiny rock_ ," she deadpanned.

"No, you're not!" Cell snarled, his voice rising in pitch as he ranted, "Rocks don't open up portals through space! Rocks don't randomly bring people back to life! Rocks don't kidnap people! And rocks _certainly don't talk_!"

" _Geez, hold a grudge much_?" she asked.

"Answer me!" Cell howled.

" _Fine_ ," she sniffed, " _My name is Akarius. I'm a_ soul _trapped in a rock. That help_?"

"Okay, _Akarius_ , tell me," Cell pinched the bridge of his nose, "what do you want with me?"

" _You know_ ," Akarius droned, " _if I wanted to be associated with you, then I would have worn an 'I'm with Stupid' t-shirt_."

Cell bristled. Akarius laughed.

"You have an attitude problem, Miss," Cell rumbled.

" _Look who's talking_ ," Akarius muttered.

Cell kicked her across the room. She bounced across the cave, coming to rest in the back corner where Cell had fallen unconscious earlier.

" _See what I mean_?" she asked.

"I'm tired of playing games! You will tell me what I want to know _now_!"

"No," she stated firmly.

Cell felt his eye twitch.

"And why not?" he asked with sarcastic, dangerous sweetness.

"Because I don't trust a fully-grown man who got wrecked by an 11-year old."

Cell felt the wind immediately get sucked out of his sails. His rage was blown out like a candle.

"How did you know that?" Cell asked, mortified.

"You've been dripping your blood on me all day," Akarius explained, her voice now seeming to issue from the crystal itself, "You've become bonded to me. As a result, I know _everything_ about you, Perfect Cell."

Cell swallowed.

"Bonded?" he asked faintly.

"Yup," she sounded like she was grinning, "You're the only one who can hear me. The only one who can touch me. And the only one who can complete my mission."

"I never asked to be part of your mission!" Cell yelped, "Whatever that is!"

"My mission is inconsequential to you," Akarius said, "And as for not bonding to me, then you should have been more careful."

"How was I supposed to know?" Cell threw his hands up in the air.

Akarius made a careless grunt.

"And inconsequential?" Cell was becoming frantic, pacing back and forth while flailing his arms, "I feel like if I'm forced to put my life on the line for you, then you could at least give me the courtesy of telling me what I'd be dying for! That's very consequential to me!"

"Give me a reason to trust you first," Akaruis' tone became serious, "Go to Pokwa and don't hurt anyone there. Do that, and things will be much clearer for you."

Cell stopped pacing to stare at the crystal.

"Me?" Cell scoffed, "Not hurt anyone? I don't think you know who you're talking to, Akarius."

"On the contrary," she responded, "I know _exactly_ who I'm talking to."

The two remained as still as statues, considering one another. Cell glowered at the crystal, and he felt Akarius glare back.

"Fine," Cell snapped, "I won't harm anyone on Pokwa."

"Good. Great!" Akarius' tone shifted to cheery.

"There's just one little problem," Cell grinned, "I can't get there without Instant Transmission. Flying would take far too long. I'm fast, but there are limits."

"Lucky for us, we don't have to worry about that," Akarius grinned, "Look outside."

Cell turned to look outside the cave. The rain had completely stopped, the mustard yellow sky was clear. Sitting a few yards in front of the cave was a shining, silver spaceship. Its long, slender, needle-like body glinted in the alien sunlight.

"Looks like Ziodon left us a gift," Akarius sounded pleased.

Cell quickly crossed the cave and picked her up. He passed over the threshold of the cave mouth to approach the ship. It seemed rather small for a ship, but it would do for the time being. Cell was about three feet away when it beeped, and a portal opened in the side of the small vessel. Steps unfurled of their own accord, leading to the inviting interior.

"Looks like a life raft," Akarius noted as they walked up the steps, "it probably will have enough fuel to get us to Pokwa, but not much after that."

Cell nodded, checking the interior. The place was cramped and utilitarian. It was lined on either side with rows of seats, with very little other amenities. The walls and floor where grey and sterile, and Cell had to hunch slightly to move forward in the tiny life raft.

He entered the front of the vessel and entered the cockpit. Clean, black panels lined the room that contained only two seats and a large viewscreen. Multicolored lights darted across the panels occasionally, indicating something that Cell could not understand.

Cell placed Akarius on the right seat. On the left seat was a note. Cell picked it up, unable to decipher the dashes and swirls. He carelessly threw the note on the ground and sat down.

"Well?" he looked at Akarius.

"Well, what?" she snapped.

"You know how to fly this thing, right?" Cell asked haughtily.

"Hello, _moron_ ," Akarius snapped, "Been trapped under a mountain in Hell for billions of years, remember? How the _fuck_ would I know how this boat works?!"

Cell groaned and slumped back in the chair, adjusting his wings slightly to fit in the chair.

"Maybe that note you threw on the ground is—and bear with me here as I blow your tiny mind—," Akarius snapped, "maybe it's INSTRUCTIONS!"

"Did you know that you're a very pleasant travel companion?" Cell asked sarcastically as he retrieved the note.

"Thanks," she grinned, "I try."

I was being sarcastic," Cell glowered.

"I know."

Cell thrust the note at her.

"Can you read this?" he asked.

"Yup," Akarius nodded, "It's not my native language, but its close enough that I can guess a rough-."

"Get to the point!" Cell snapped.

"Fine," Akarius sniffed, "It says:

 _Cell,_

 _I have left you my life raft to get you to Pokwa. I have left you these instructions_ (I TOLD YOU!) _to help you fly it. The on switch is below the main console on the left side. Press it and the controls will emerge. The flight pattern is standard layout. To engage the engines, press your palm on the red panel and slide down. To engage navigation, which I have preprogrammed for Pokwa, press your index finger and middle finger to the blue line and swipe left. Reverse everything to disengage._

That's it."

Cell grunted as he did as he was instructed. The engines roared to life, rattling the tiny vessel. Cell gripped the two joysticks that had emerged from another panel and began to pull up. The tiny ship lurched forward and up. Cell gritted his teeth and turned the ship skyward. It creaked and groaned in response. The life raft fell silent and whined as it shut down.

"By the gods, can you be any more useless?!" Akarius snarled.

Cell smirked malevolently. Without warning, he fully engaged the engines, and the little vessel shot into the sky like a flash of lightning.

"THAT WAS A RHETORICAL QUESTION!" Akarius screamed.

Cell pushed the little ship as fast as it would go, trying to break free of the dead planet's pull. The raft shook and creaked under the strain. The occupants were rattled about, yet g-forces kept them plastered to their seats. Cell looked rather unimpressed as Akarius' voice screamed. Then, they were free, soaring through space to reach their destination.

Cell engaged navigation and casually stood.

"This is disappointing," Cell sniffed, "we're going slower than I expected."

"Sorry, Princess," Akarius responded, "but beggars can't be choosers."

Cell ignored her. Instead, his attention was diverted by something on the viewscreen. He leaned forward to get a better look.

"Hey, stupid!" Akarius snapped, "are you going to say anything?"

"What's that?" Cell asked, pointing to something in the distance.

"I can't see anything," Akarius huffed, "point it out."

"There," Cell said, "the shimmering, black thing."

He poked the screen accidentally, and the image enlarged. A large, twisted black ship filled the screen. A silver emblem was emblazoned on the side of the ship's menacing profile.

" _Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem_ ," Akarius chanted.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm praying because WE ARE GOING TO DIE!"

"Why?"

"That's a Kaelin battleship," Akarius sounded horrified, "And we're headed straight for it."


	5. Chapter 5

Cell felt his knuckles whiten as he gripped the console of the tiny life raft hard. Cracks formed where his fingers crushed the flimsy metal. His rage began to boil, threatening to overwhelm his sensibilities. He shook with rage as he glowered thunderously at the image of the Kaelin battleship on the life raft's viewscreen.

" _Cell_ ," Akarius said his name warningly.

"I am tired of vermin getting in my way!" Cell bellowed at the screen.

"Here we go," Akarius grumbled under her breath as her android companion lost his grip on sanity.

"I refuse to tolerate these petty annoyances anymore!" Cell howled.

Cell turned on his heel and tore out of the cockpit.

"This won't end well," Akarius sighed.

Meanwhile, in the depths of the Kaelin battleship, Xirana threw open a pair of thick, wooden double doors. She sprinted, clearly flustered, into the room inside. She finished her reckless maneuver by sliding onto one knee, tearing the hem of her robe. She took no notice as she bowed at the foot of a short dais.

"Priest-Commander Usir!" Xirana yelped.

"What is it Xirana?" the man's voice was gruff.

His back was turned away from her, his clawed hands clasped behind his back as he stared out the wide viewscreen. The room was dark and cold, every piece of equipment was sharp and onyx black. Every pointed surface gleamed with the reflected light of the stars in the viewscreen. Xirana shivered. The cloaked and hooded figure of Usir turned to look down the black marble dais at Xirana.

His face was sallow and wrinkled. Thin wisps of long, white hair fluttered out from under his hood. His eyes were sunken and steel grey. He thumbed his sharp nose and pursed his thin, dry lips.

"We've detected a life raft leaving exiting Hluir's orbit," Xirana kept her eyes on the ground as she remained with one knee on the floor, avoiding her superior's gaze.

"Oh?" he asked, raising a bushy, white eyebrow, "What else?"

"Danian origin," Xirana panted, "and the Analysts predict it's on a course to Pokwa."

Usir turned his back on her again, returning to staring out the viewscreen.

"Destroy it," he commanded.

"Yes sir!" Xirana bolted to her feet and back out the doors to relay Usir's orders.

As she ran, Xirana's eyes narrowed.

" _Batty old geezer_ ," she thought as she tore through the black halls and barking orders, " _the day you die, I'll be the happiest woman alive."_

She burst into the active Command Deck. A throng of bodies busied themselves at a series of interlocking terminals that ringed the room. Hundreds of levels lined the walls.

"COMMANDER USIR'S ORDERS!" Xirana barked, "READY THE MAIN TURRET AND FIRE ON THAT LIFE RAFT!"

The room bustled to life. People scurried and bolted from side to side. Machines beeped and whirred. Lights and buttons flashed, making the room shimmer and sparkle. A low humming could be heard from the bowels of the ship.

Cell flew through the empty space between the life raft and the battleship. His blood pounded in his ears, roaring like a bloodthirsty drum. His gaze was focused rigidly on his target.

"Turret ready, Priestess!" a random lackey called down to Xirana.

Cell watched with growing amusement as a large turret on the bottom of the ship roared to life, glowing with an ominous purple light. It swung in his direction, dual barrels crackling and humming.

" _So, you want to fight, huh_?" Cell thought, " _well, prepare for destruction_!"

Cell halted and raised his arm. He extended his hand towards his target. He powered up a surge of ki and his arm glowed with yellow light.

"Priestess!" Xirana looked up to another lackey stationed at a monitor, "Something has emerged from the life raft! It's stopped about 3000 yards away! It looks like a man!"

"What?" Xirana fluttered her wings to look over the man's shoulder to look at the image in the monitor.

Cell grinned.

"Fire on him first!" Xirana snapped.

The turret shifted slightly.

Cell's ki blast hummed with power.

The turret glowed brighter.

"Target set!" crosshairs formed over Cell's image.

"Fire!"

Purple light blasted out of the turret and barreled its way to Cell.

Cell let the ki blast go.

The side of the battleship exploded.

The blast hit its target.

Cell emerged, holding his right shoulder, which dripped with blood.

Sirens screamed as flames licked the interior of the crippled battleship. Hundreds of people scrambled about the ship, trying to save it and themselves. Xirana stood among the chaos, laughing at the top of her lungs.

She stood over the top half of Usir, his legs and lower torso were gone. The man was clearly dead, his eyes frozen in a look of panic. She unsheathed a sword from beneath her cloak. She bent down and cut off the man's head, holding it aloft.

"I have killed Usir!" she howled, "I now command this ship and its supporting fleet! All hail Priestess- Commander Xirana!"

Her insane laughter peeled through the harried halls of the drifting ship.

Meanwhile, Cell crawled back into the life raft, snarling as he clutched his shoulder.

"Why?" he snarled as he entered the cramped cockpit.

"What?" Akarius asked.

"That _toy_ damaged me!" Cell howled, "why?"

"Yeah," Akarius snorted, "that's to be expected since railguns destroy their targets at the subatomic level! No matter how strong you are, a railgun will damage you without proper shielding, _idiot_. Damn you are so naïve. You're like a big, green, bug-baby."

Cell sneered in her direction but didn't dignify the statement further. He instead turned the tiny vessel back on course to Pokwa. He hissed with pain as he sat down in the pilot's seat, clutching his seeping wound.

"Aww, did you get a boo-boo? Do you need mommy to kiss it better?" Akarius mocked.

"Sarcasm: not appreciated."

"I'm an ancient soul stuck in a rock, of course I'm going to be nothing but sunshine and rainbows!" she sneered sarcastically. "Need me to shit sparkles too?"

Cell glowered.

In the depths of the limping battleship, Xirana fell to her knees, quaking with fear.

" _Are you joking_?!" a woman's voice screamed in anger.

"No, M'Lady," Xirana bowed at the floating image of her Queen's eyes.

"You're saying that a single being took down a battleship by _itself_?"

Xirana nodded, falling prostrate onto the polished marble floor. The Demon Queen closed her eyes and sighed. A pale hand with long, manicured fingernails rubbed the spot between the blue eyes.

"Nothing could be that strong," the Demon Queen growled, "Unless-."

The blue eyes were shining again.

"Xirana," the demonic woman leapt to her feet at the sound of her name, "You said that Seven's ship was located on Hluir?"

"Yes, My Queen," Xirana nodded.

"The creature was piloting a Danian life raft, correct?"

Xirana nodded again.

"So, it stands to reason that Seven gave this creature the source of that powerful signal to transport off Hluir. The creature's power should be enough to confirm that it can use that powerful energy source, and that the source is onboard that raft."

"That is indeed reasonable, My Queen," Xirana bowed.

"So, the question is: where is the source being taken to?"

"We predict that it's heading to Pokwa."

"Pokwa," the silvery-blue eyes glowed, "that's the planet where Four is staging a rebellion. Which means-."

"That the source of the signal is a powerful new Danian weapon that Four intends to use to win the rebellion on Pokwa!" Xirana finished gleefully.

"Cut me off again, Xirana, and I will cut out your tongue!" the eyes flashed red.

"My apologies, Mistress!"

"Xirana," the eyes of the Demon Queen commanded, "Take your fleet, and follow that creature to Pokwa! Bring me both the creature and the source in one piece! Do not fail me!"

Xirana bowed as the Queen's eyes vanished.

The Bronze Anchor Inn sat tucked away in the back corner of a dark alley. It was a rather dreary thing. A neon sign swung in the breeze, flashing as the power illuminating the orange anchor and red letters spat irregular bursts of energy. The dark, thick wood door creaked as Cell pushed it open.

Instantly, his senses were assaulted by the overwhelming smell of liquor and cigarette smoke. Loud, bass music filled his hears with a simple drumming, thumping rhythm. Colored lights danced around the rows of tables and chairs that filled the small space, draining the dingy area of its natural color. The place was filled to the brim with drunken maggots, swaying and hollering, adding further noise to the hubbub.

Cell picked his way through the scene, clutching the pouch around his neck where Akarius was hidden. A man with two tails fell onto the ground at Cell's feet. Cell ignored the vomiting idiot and stepped over him, making his way to the counter that lined the far wall. He pushed his way between two yelling men made of stone to reach his destination. Cell pulled up a barstool and sat down, waiting for an employee to notice him. It didn't take long.

A lanky waitress with wild hair and disheveled uniform consisting of a white tank top and black leather miniskirt sauntered over to Cell. The heavy makeup on her eyelids and lips was smeared all over her long, sour face. Cell eyed her wearily as she walked. She swayed as she walked, her eyes were bloodshot. Cell guessed that she was heavily inebriated.

"What do you want?" the waitress slurred, leaning obnoxiously over the tabletop, and pulling a pen from her wiry hair to write something down on a pad. The scent of the breath making the annoyingly nasally voice immediately confirmed that she was drunk.

"I'm looking for someone named Zia," Cell said over the racket, "are they here?"

The waitress snorted. She turned away, looking cross.

"Yeah, I'll get her," she called over her shoulder, "Damn whore always bringing her boyfriends here," Cell managed to hear her mutter under her breath.

Cell waited, hunched over the tabletop, trying to not draw attention to himself. He glanced around, watching the patrons. Most were too drunk to do much more than snore with drinks clutched in their hands. Some laughed raucously and catcalled the waitresses. A few were eyeing his back with bloodshot, drunken eyes. Cell tensed, if they wanted a fight, he'd give them more than these sorry, sordid sods could ever imagine.

"You wanted to see me?" said a woman's voice over the noise of the bar.

Cell looked up, broken out of his thoughts. A tall, thin woman with navy blue hair and turquoise eyes stood over him, hands on her hips.

"Zia, I presume?" Cell asked, standing to his full height.

Zia nodded, craning her neck up, and brushing her bangs out of her eyes.

" _Damn, I love that crop-top tee!_ " Cell heard Akarius's voice in his head, " _I'm actually quite jealous! I mean, you can see so much cleavage from this angle!"_

" _Akarius_ ," Cell sent her a warning thought.

" _Not my fault I miss having a body_ ," Akarius sniffed.

"So, who are you?" Zia asked, blowing a large pink bubble with her chewing gum.

"My name is Cell," Cell introduced himself, "Seven sent me."

Zia popped her bubble. She cocked her hips slightly and blinked.

"Give me a minute," Zia finally said.

She spun on her heel and walked back to the bar. Her hips swayed in her tiny black mini skirt and Cell noticed many eyes watched her lecherously as she strode through the bar.

"Hey, Lu!" she called into the back as she untied her black waist apron, "I'm taking off early!"

"You'd better be here before sun-high then, missy!" A shrill voice of an older woman replied.

"Whatever!"

Zia passed through the wooden door to the kitchen, returning moments later with a small backpack and hunter green jacket in hand.

"Come on," she said, pulling Cell to his feet and out the front door.

The two travelers and a rock entered the parking lot. Zia pulled out a computer chip from her jacket pocket and strode across the lot.

"We'll take my bike," She said, swinging her leg over a silver machine with a large black pad of leather and a black front console. She sat down heavily on the leather and looked at Cell expectantly.

"Well?" she asked, "hop on."

Cell reluctantly sat behind her.

"Hold on," Zia said, inserting the chip.

The machine roared to life and began to hover, the handlebars jumped out and Zia casually caught them. She leaned over the rapidly flashing dashboard. Cell saw her thumbs twitch and he quickly grabbed her waist. Zia punched the ignition, and her bike sped off into the busy streets.

They passed the trip mostly in silence. Cell decided to sightsee, staring at the bright lights and noise of the city. It was rather uneventful and dull. Then, Zia slipped between two hovercars, and Cell instinctively gripped her waist a little harder to brace for impact. Zia expertly maneuvered them between the hovercars, not even grazing her bike and passenger against the thick hulls of the cars.

"What's wrong?" his driver asked, yelling over the wind, "not been in the city before?"

"I'm not from here!" Cell yelled back.

The companions began to cross a lighted bridge with lighter traffic.

"Then where are you from?" Zia asked, checking the holographic viewscreen.

Cell paused. Where was he from? Hell? Earth? Both would be accurate. He did arrive in this galaxy from Hell. But he wasn't from there. As a matter of fact, he'd wanted to get as far from there as possible. So, that left him with-.

"I'm from Earth," Cell called back, feeling a little awkward and unclean.

"Never heard of it," Zia said, passing another hovering motorcycle.

"It's _really_ far away," he replied lamely.

They continued the trip in silence. Cell was growing more awkward and uncomfortable by the second. He shifted and squirmed, trying to avoid letting his companion notice his discomfort.

" _Did I really just say that I'm from Earth_?" Cell asked himself.

That felt wrong. He'd wanted to destroy that boring dirtball. He almost did! The place was useless to him. He drained it nearly dry and left the remaining inhabitants in eternal fear of him. He certainly was created there, but it held no meaning to him. So why did he decide to associate himself with that useless planet? His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton. Nothing made sense anymore!

" _Am I breaking down_?" Cell thought, " _am I_ defective?"

The thought was almost too terrible to consider.

It took great effort for Cell to wrench his mind away from the horrid thought and focus on something else. The city was boring. He'd destroyed enough of those to know that all cities were the same, even on this alien world. So, he'd focus on his companion instead.

Cell tried to get a better view of his guide. Her long hair whipped in the wind, occasionally hitting Cell gently in the face, gracing him with a flowery scent. He noticed that curved, blue fins stood out from her head where a human's ears would be. Her body was fit and toned, like she constantly was training for a fight. And her skin was a pale blue color that Cell didn't notice in the flashing lights of the bar.

But it was her eyes that caught Cell's attention. Although she whipped and dived in and out of traffic at deadly speeds, she seemed bored with it. As if those turquoise eyes had seen darker things than death. They were cold and calculating. Almost emotionless. For a moment, Cell wondered if Zia even had a soul.

His musings were cut short as they stopped on the edge of an old pier. Zia shut off her machine and casually hopped off. Cell followed suit. Before Cell could move, Zia slammed him into a metal wall, holding a switchblade to his throat.

"Don't move, or I'm going to find out what color you bleed," She snarled, mere inches from his face. He could feel her hot breath on his face.

Although Cell knew the blade wouldn't hurt him, the look in her eye was enough to give him pause. She was serious. The glint in her eye said everything. This woman was a cold-blooded killer.

Cell grinned. This could get interesting.

"You don't have the guts," Cell smirked.

Zia's free hand grasped his throat. She leaned in even closer.

"Look into my eyes again," she hissed in a deadly whisper.

"If I did that, you'd burst into tears, Miss," Cell grinned even wider, "You have no idea what you're dealing with."

"Nor do you," she said.

Her wrist holding the knife jerked. If Cell was anyone else, his throat would be spewing blood, but the blade shattered uselessly against his skin. The look in her eyes made Cell laugh. This was the reaction he so loved to see: panic and fear! She stumbled back. Her eyes growing wider as she stared at the useless knife handle. She looked into Cell's eyes.

Cell took that moment to stalk forward. Zia backtracked, tripping over her boots and falling into a puddle of water with a pathetic splash. Cell laughed at her misery again, drawing nearer. This was getting entertaining! Cell was almost giddy with the thrill of the hunt! He was just about on top of her.

In the blink of an eye, Cell felt a resounding pain in his left shoulder. He looked down to find a large chunk missing! He looked at Zia again. She was laying with her back on the ground, staring down the barrel of what appeared to be a large sparkplug. Cell grabbed his shoulder.

"What was that?" he snarled.

Zia got to her feet. She kept the barrel of the weapon expertly trained on Cell's head.

"You didn't think I'd try and protect myself in this city with just a stupid knife, did you?" she hissed.

Cell growled.

"Now," Zia snarled, "You're going to spill your guts, or I'm going to make you taste a blast from my railgun."

Cell hissed, more than furious that his fun had been spoiled. No, he was livid that his pride had again been bruised!

"You're not getting anything from me, you bitch!" Cell swore.

Zia raised a long, thin eyebrow.

"Resorting to name-calling now?" she rolled her eyes, "you're pathetic."

Cell roared, launching himself at her at max speed. Zia didn't even have time to blink as his fist connected to her face. She spun, blue blood spewing from her mouth. She fell on top of her bike like a ragdoll. Her gun fell uselessly ten feet away.

Cell towered over her as his wound stitched itself shut. Her eyes grew huge as she watched new black armor seal itself back over the gaping hole, as if he had never been wounded.

"Don't patronize me, _girl_ ," Cell snarled.

He lifted his hand, forming a glowing ball of yellow energy. He'd had enough. This girl wasn't good entertainment anymore.

And that made her expendable.

Zia slowly raised her head, hissing with pain as she faced her death. A large black and purple bruise was forming where his fist had made contact with her face, swelling her cheek and eye. Cell was rather disappointed that she didn't beg, plead, or go mad with fear.

"Wait," Zia groaned, "I see that you easily have me overpowered. None have been able to defeat me so quickly. You are a warrior of great skill. So, if you are going to kill me, then I humbly ask that you grant me my last request."

Cell paused.

"Tell me before I die," she rasped, "Did Seven _really_ send you?"

"He did," Cell responded.

"Then," Zia asked, "What's his name?"

"Ziodon."

Zia chuckled. Her amusement caused her to cough blood for a moment. She looked into Cell's eyes.

"Sorry," she said, "I had to be sure."

She slunk onto the ground with a heavy thud. Cell kept his energy ball trained on her as she pulled out a glass vial of yellow liquid from her backpack. She popped the cork and drank. Cell let his energy fade as he watched her get steadily to her feet, the large bruise on her face fading away as she moved.

She turned and tossed some large crates on top of her bike, hiding it from view. Checking her handiwork, Zia continued to speak.

"Like I said, I'm sorry for getting in your face," she stood and faced him, "But you have no idea the amount of danger I'm in. I can't just let anyone waltz into my life without proof that they're on my side."

"Perhaps you'd be in less danger if you didn't try to slit peoples' throats as a greeting," Cell snorted and crossed his arms, "Or you could do a better job of killing someone so that you won't be caught. Either do the job right, or don't do it at all."

Zia bristled. Looks like Cell hit a nerve. Cell smirked. Apparently, she did still have some entertainment value. Zia glared at him in response.

"Come on," she snapped, turning down a narrow alley.

Cell followed, still grinning.

Zia drew up to a lone metal door with no handle or windows. If she hadn't stopped and knocked, Cell wasn't sure that he would have noticed the entrance.

A red light flashed above the door.

"Who is it?" a gruff, male voice issued from seemingly nowhere.

"It's Blue Blood," Zia responded.

"Looks like you've grown a tail, Blue Blood," the voice said.

"I know," Zia smiled, "It's pretty cool, huh?"

Cell tilted his head. His guide had no tail.

"Then I'll let you two in," the voice said.

The light turned off, and there was a beep. The door slid open to a dark interior. Zia strode over the threshold, beckoning Cell to follow. Cell was swallowed by darkness as the door closed behind him. Suddenly, a dim yellow light flashed on and the room creaked, groaned, shook, and then descended. A rhythmic beeping rung every few seconds. Cell glanced at his companion. She had straightened her posture, and her demeanor had become even more serious.

He crossed his arms and looked at the door.

The room shook after half a minute of descent. It creaked and shook again as it slowed. Zia moved forward, and stood in front of the door, blocking him. Cell twitched with annoyance and shifted to get out from behind her. Then the room stopped, and the door opened to bright light. Zia stepped out of the lift, and Cell copied her.

"ALL HAIL QUEEN DREGEZIA!"

The unexpected noise nearly made Cell jump out of his skin. He looked out from a balcony over a massive open space filled with lifeforms he didn't detect before. Cell gawked, there must have been thousands here, all lined up in neat rows, saluting at Zia.

"At ease, men!" Zia ordered, "Resume your posts!"

The throng moved immediately, scattering into organized chaos. Zia turned to walk down the stairs and join the throng. Cell trailed on her heels, staring with blatant curiosity at his guide's back.

A loud blaring noise rang out in the cavernous hall, making Cell flinch again. The room turned red as lights flashed to life. Suddenly, the activity swelled as people rushed to clear the area. Most ran to terminals that lined the walls, a few grabbed flags and lights and lined up in the center of the hall.

"All units, this is Flight Control, clear the Landing Bay. All units, this is Flight Control, clear the Landing Bay," a voice repeated over the din.

Zia grabbed Cell's wrist and herded him up another flight of stairs and into a room that overlooked the area.

"All Hail Queen Dregezia!" the alien men and women in the room stood and saluted to Zia.

Zia swept into the room raising her hand. At the gesture, everyone seated themselves and continued working.

"General," Zia stalked forward to a man wearing a crisp, white uniform and blue hat, "Status report."

The "General" saluted, sharply raising a bladed fist to his heart.

"My Queen," the General twisted his neon yellow moustache, "The 46th Squadron is returning from a successful raid on a Kaelin Military Production Center. All targets reported destroyed."

"Casualties?"

"None. Enemy defenses were minimal."

"Then I think we wasted our efforts, General," Zia folded her arms, "Kaelins only protect what they see as valuable. If there were no defenses, then there was nothing of value."

"Our scouts will be returning with more potential targets soon, My Queen," The General bowed.

"Good," Zia nodded, "notify me when they arrive. Meanwhile, I'll be in the armory."

Cell watched as approximately thirty sleek ships touched down in the Landing Bay. The army moved like clockwork, rhythmically guiding each ship down and then leading it to a portal in the ground, where the ground seemed to swallow them up. Repeating over and over again in a fast-moving assembly line.

"Cell!" Zia snapped, breaking Cell from his trance.

She beckoned to him from another open door, and Cell nodded. He crossed the floor of the Flight Control deck and out behind Zia.

Several busy hallways later, Zia led them to a circular, white door. With a casual flick of her wrist, she entered.

"All hail Queen Dregezia!" a reedy voice could be heard.

A loud clattering quickly followed as a gangly young man with a tuft of curly, sandy hair, grey skin, and big, brown eyes dropped a large amount of helmets onto the floor and saluted so stiffly, that he lost his balance.

"Cadet!" Zia snapped, "We need those to break after battle, not before!"

"Sorry, Majesty," the boy scrambled to pick up his mess. He skittered away, his arms overstuffed with his load.

Zia shook her head.

"Cadets," she growled, as she moved between the endless shelves of equipment, cherry-picking what she wanted along the way, "too naive for their own damn good. Bless them."

"You're not a bartender, are you?" Cell finally asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"No," Zia shook her head, "I am Queen Dregezia of Planet G'zia and leader of the Danian Rebellion."

"Then what is a Queen and Rebel Leader doing in a bar?" Cell leaned on a shelf.

"The Bronze Anchor Inn is a great place for intel," Dregezia explained, "lots of shady folks gather there. I can hear all the most relevant news from there. The Kaelins control everything, including the news. I can get around their censorship there. Also, it's a great place to get new recruits. Disgruntled citizens love to cast their lot with alcohol to ease their sufferings. Then, I give them hope."

She shrugged, clicking thick, black and silver armor plating over her chest and arms. It blinked to life and whirred mechanically. Blue lights ran along the seams and yellow liquid pulsed through glowing tubes that ran the length of the suit. The armor shrank to conform to the Queen's body.

"Hmm," Cell mused.

"The better question is," Dregezia said, placing black shin guards around her legs, "why did Ziodon send you here?"

Cell shrugged.

"No idea," Cell said.

Dregezia looked up at him, pausing her task of adjusting her full suit of armor.

"There must be some reason why," Dregezia said, "Ziodon may be an annoyingly cryptic bastard, but he has his reasons."

"I don't have a clue."

"Does it have something to do with that thing around your neck?" Dregezia asked shrewdly, narrowing her eyes at Cell's cargo.

"Maybe," Cell shrugged, lifting Akarius's pouch over his head, "Probably."

Cell pulled out the glimmering crystal. Dregezia froze, staring at in in wonder. She inched closer, her gaze fixed on the stone in the palm of Cell's hand.

"Where did you get that?" she whispered.

"I found it," Cell said.

Dregezia blinked.

"So, that's why Ziodon sent you," Dregezia whistled appreciatively, "You're in quite the bind, aren't you?"

"I'm more than a little tired of ambiguous drivel, woman," Cell growled, "my patience is wearing dangerously thin."

Dregezia continued to stare unblinkingly at the crystal, "What do you know about it?"

"All I know is that this thing is somehow important," Cell growled.

"Dammit, Ziodon!" Dregezia aggressively slammed a power core into her handheld railgun, "Okay, Cell, allow me to fill you in on what that cryptic bastard didn't tell you."

Cell nodded, leaning against the wall. Dregezia moved around the room, checking her weapons as she spoke.

"It has been forbidden to share this knowledge with outsiders for some time," she began, "But since you carry that crystal, I feel obligated to share it with you," she sighed, "In the First Time, a terrible civil war brought with it the collapse of the Great Arganian Stellar Empire. On one side, the worshippers of the Creation Goddess: Dani, fought for equality and harmony. On the other," Dregezia's face darkened, "the worshipers of the Chaos God: Kaelis."

The room grew menacingly dark and cold at the sound of the name. Cell swore he heard ominous whispering carried on the cold breeze. He suppressed a shiver.

"So vicious were the Kaelins, that life itself would have been rendered extinct, were it not for the sacrifice of the Arganian Empress. In the final battle, she destroyed herself and the Dark Queen of Kaelis with a powerful magic spell. The force of its power rent the fabric of the universe apart. The First Universe, and the Arganian Stellar Empire, was destroyed. Any Danian survivors of the terrible war sent themselves into exile among the multitude of new universes they had inadvertently created."

Dregezia's eyes grew misty and distant. She halfheartedly looked down the sight of her gun, her mind seemingly a million miles away.

"Torn apart by guilt and grief, the Danians refused aid from any new lifeforms that they encountered. Imperfect technology separated them. And in time, they forgot their true legacy, their former empire reduced to myth and tale. But even in exile, the Danians were relentlessly pursued by their enemies. To this day, the Exiles are hunted by the Kaelins, who will not rest until Danians are extinct."

She met Cell's gaze. Her eyes were cold.

"Were you there?" Cell asked.

She shook her head.

"There is now only one person alive who lived during the First Time. Our High Priestess, L'lar. She could tell you much more about what happened."

"But what does this 'terrible war' have to do with this crystal?" Cell turned the crystal over so that it glinted in the light.

"That crystal is an artifact from the Empire," Dregezia rubbed the nape of her neck in discomfort, "I can tell because being in its presence is physically painful for me. The instant you took it out of that pouch, I felt like I was being crushed. The power that radiates from it is incalculable."

"I feel nothing," Cell snorted.

"That's odd."

"So, this thing is supposedly 'bonded' to me," Cell asked, "what does that mean?"

Dregezia looked perplexed.

"Bonded?" she repeated, "I have no clue."

Cell felt sparks of energy crackle across his body as his rage built up, threatening to break. Dregezia took a step back, looking slightly alarmed.

"Perhaps," She tried to assuage the raging android's fury, "we could help you find the High Priestess. She certainly could help you."

Cell nodded. His energy calmed for the moment.

"So, where is this High Priestess of yours?" Cell asked.

"She's hidden herself from the Kaelin forces. I'm not sure where she is," Dregezia said.

Cell felt his rage break.

"Are you _joking_?" he bellowed, lightning arched across the room as Cell's energy flared.

Dregezia flinched but recovered quickly. Her face became stony and cross. She placed her hands on her hips and stood to her full height.

"Calm down!" she barked, "I don't need you breaking anything in here! I'll find a way to locate High Priestess L'lar for you! Does that help?"

Cell bored his eyes into hers. Dregezia stood tall, staring firmly back into his eyes. The two stared at each other for a tense moment. Cell snorted, before slowly letting his energy fade. He crossed his arms sullenly. Dregezia continued to stare him down.

"Cadet," Dregezia ordered, not breaking her deadly glare, "Please show Mr. Cell the way to the Mess Hall. He's come a long way and could use some rest."

"Yes, my Queen!"

Cell turned to the sound of the reedy voice. The clumsy Cadet from earlier had appeared at his shoulder. He held his helmet under the crook of his arm, looking pleased with himself. The boy saluted crisply at Dregezia before waving to Cell.

"Please follow me, sir!" the Cadet smiled and almost bounded out of the armory.

Cell followed in the happy boy's wake, the armory door closing behind him. Dregezia unblinkingly watched them go. After the door closed, she sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.

"This is going to get messy," she groaned.


	6. Chapter 6

The cadet bounced happily in front of him as he led Cell down a labyrinth of twisting and turning pristine halls of white metal. Cell eyed the boy's back wearily, watching the soft brown, bear-like ears on the top of the cadet's head wiggle among the tufts of curly hair. Occasionally, Cell broke his intense stare to glower at the myriad of soldiers they passed whenever they gave him untrusting, furtive looks. Cell snarled at one who dared look too closely at him and the man shrunk to the edge of the floor, cowering against the safety of the wall. The cadet turned to look back at his trailing companion.

"We're nearly there!" the boy chirped, his big brown eyes sparkling, "This place is huge! It takes forever to get from place to place! So, I'm sorry for making you walk so long! But that's what happens when you're waging a rebellion! You've got to remain hidden! And this base is the best-hidden base this side of the Thessrai Nebulae! I'm sorry," the boy noticed Cell glowering, "I tend to babble a lot. I guess that's why I'm not very good at making friends. Too annoying, you see?" he turned around and began to walk backwards, looking up at Cell with a bright smile, "My name is Whildu. Like 'will-do, Sir!'" the boy imitated a stiff salute, "what's your name?"

"Cell," the android grunted.

"Wow! Cell! That's a cool name! Not like Whildu! Your name just _oozes_ confidence! Where are you from, Mr. Cell?"

"Earth," Cell mumbled.

"Where's that? I've never heard of it? What's it like? Why did you come here?" Whildu peppered Cell with questions.

Cell didn't respond, but the young cadet didn't seem to care. He simply continued to bounce along, twittering away with comments, observations, and questions.

"And you wouldn't believe the things that I hear!" Whildu chirped, "I guess that's one perk of being the clumsy, unpopular wallflower! People don't notice I'm there if I keep my mouth shut! And I tend to stay quiet a lot! Most people don't like to hear me talk, or I'm just too scared to say anything! People are intimidating! You're the first person who's bothered to listen to me without saying some variation of 'shut the hell up, Whildu!' You're a good listener!"

Cell resisted the urge to jump the boy and throttle him. It wouldn't do for his new ally, Dregezia, to discover that he had murdered one of her recruits.

"And the walls are made of seven fothracs of thurstenoid metal! Nothing short of a Kaelin Mothership can penetrate this place! Not even energy waves! No emissions of any kind!" Whildu laughed nervously, "I mean, they can't hurt us if they can't find us. Am I right?"

But murder seemed so tempting right about now. Cell clenched his fists as hard as he could. However, some higher power must have been smiling upon the cadet that day since it was at that moment that Whildu stopped in front of two sets of large, metal double doors.

"Here we are!" Whildu smiled, "Mess Hall Entrance H! Don't worry! You'll find your way around soon!"

Cell sensed the throng of people inside but didn't expect the sheer volume until Cadet Whildu threw open the doors. Cell's ears were assaulted by the noise. His nose overwhelmed by the cacophony of scents. It was almost too much to manage, and Cell's eyes watered from the barrage.

Whildu grinned as he bounded over the threshold. Cell reluctantly followed. He was instantly swallowed by the nosy throng and was buffeted from side to side as soldiers pushed their way to massively long lines that ringed the room. Cell grunted and snared at the uncomfortable and unwelcome invasion of his privacy, almost losing sight of Whildu in his building rage.

With a herculean push, Cell shoved his way out of the rat race, and into freedom in the center of the room. Long tables filled with thousands of people ran through the center of the massive hall. Cell watched them wearily as the soldiers ate repulsive, pungent meals, milled about, and chatted uselessly in the noisy din. Laughter echoed in some parts of the hall, and Cell turned in bewilderment to find the source of the boisterous noise. Whildu grinned, sauntering off in the direction of the noise, and Cell followed.

The sound of laughter drew louder as Cell and Whildu approached a large cluster of people, all gathered around the back corner of the farthest table. Suddenly, a tall, purple woman with a flask in her hand stood on the table. She raised the beverage high over her head and burst into song.

Oh! If this were my last day

I'd like to spend it gay!

Drinking down the sorrows of the day!

My life's been hellish-bent!

But now it's filled with merriment!

As I drink down the sorrows of the day!

More voices added to the drunken song and Whildu clapped along and bobbed his head in time with the music. Cell glowered even more at the irritating and perplexing display.

No more losing streaks!

No more feeling bleak!

As we grab a flask or two or more!

Today I lost my friend

To another barrel's end!

But this is our lives when we're at war!

But I'd know just what he'd say

If he saw me here today.

Just be happy you're alive!

As we drink down the sorrows of the day!

The other day I was sent

On a silly fool's errand

And I lost my way back home!

But instead of getting bit

I spent the day in a pit

hiding from dark forces in the night!

Just when my luck was running out

facing down a Beast's snout

I found the strength to get away!

Because I drank down the sorrows of the day!

A random soldier grabbed Cell around the shoulders, singing and waving his flask in the air. Cell tensed as the man swayed, trying to goad the android into singing. Cell snarled again and pursed his lips tighter. He refused to partake of this buffoonery.

"Alright, you bunch of pitiful losers!" the purple woman called from the tabletop, "who's got something to share?!"

A throng of hands, including Whildu's, flew up into the air.

"How's about you?" She asked, pointing to a tiny, fat blue alien that looked like it was made of jelly.

It bounced up onto the table with a drunken grin.

"My name's Jooril, and I'd like to say," the alien sang in an upbeat tenor, he bounced down the length of the table, as his comrades clapped him on, "why it is exactly that I drink today!"

You see my family's bereft

And I was left adrift

Until I met the Queen down at the bar!

So, I shouldered up my lot

and put all my eggs into one pot

And left my old life back up at the pier!

So, I'm quite happy to just say

that I'm alive today

And that my daughter is getting married this time next year!"

The room cheered as Jooril drank a large swig from his flask and subsequently bounded off the table. The purple woman dragged another woman onto the table to a raucous applause. The other woman had short navy-blue hair, green eyes, and fins for ears. Cell guessed she was from Dregezia's race. She grinned.

"Hi, my name is Kezia!" She waved as she sang, "And I'd like to sing about why it is that I'm smiling!"

I left my home planet

with the hope of getting rich

but I ended up an outcast on the street!

I wound up getting married

to a man who picked me up

A Kaelin soldier with a chip upon his shoulder!

But us Gazians don't have rights

so, every time he'd pick a fight

I ended up with black eyes and on the floor!

So, there was just one day

when I decided to run away

and found myself back at my Queen's door!

But I guess it's not so bad

because of this day I just had

I blew the bastard straight out of the sky!

So now that he's pushing daisies

I can finally rest easy!

So, I'll take a swig and fall sound asleep tonight!

And Kezia proceeded to do just that, drinking a hefty draught before sinking to the floor.

Person after person lined up to be pulled up onto the makeshift stage. Each person singing their life story and why life was terrible before they entered Dregezia's rebel army. Cell felt that his ears were going numb from the boredom.

The room began to swell with activity as the drunken mass partnered up and began so dance around. The room began to swirl as the occupants of the room twirled and danced, clapping and cheering as they enjoyed their merriment. But for Cell the display was getting obnoxious. Cell prayed that it would end. He tried to slink away as far away from the reverie as possible. Then, horrifyingly, the purple woman grabbed his wrist and practically threw him onto the table.

Cell froze. Thousands of drunken eyes looked at him expectantly. Cell responded by glaring.

Silently, he jumped off the table and walked out the door. The throng booed him as he strode through the crowd, and he heard Whildu distantly call his name in a desperate mewl. But Cell didn't care. He was done.

The door closed behind cell and he was left in the lonely, blissfully silent hallway. Now unguided, Cell decided to look around the underground compound. He quickly decided to take a sharp right turn and was off on his way.

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he heard Akarius begin to sing in the same ridiculously merry tune:

This is the new guy, his name's Cell

and he just came from a place called Hell

after he got his ass kicked by a toddler!

He was waiting there ten years

Been bored to literal tears

and training for his revenge like no other!

He thought he'd get back to Earth

But his luck went from bad to worse

when he found a crystal in a lonely gutter!

Then the poor guy's in for a surprise

when it took him for a ride

and he found himself on the Planet Hluir!

He got ambushed by a Beast

was almost going to be its feast

And almost ended up losing one of his fingers!

But then he met a guy who was nice

blew up some Kaelins during my flight

and then the Queen shot him in the shoulder!

And now that this man is here

I find that y'all are rather queer

but that's because he's nothing but a loser!

Cell ground his teeth as she warbled on, ruining his meditative stroll.

"Mr. Cell!" a woman barked his name from behind.

Cell turned to find Queen Dregezia marching imperiously up to him, her chin held high.

"What?" he sniffed.

Dregezia frowned at his unpleasant tone, her expression becoming positively menacing, but continued to approach. Cell didn't even bother to mask his expression. He felt his eyes narrow and he bared his teeth. Dregezia's hands balled into fists and she bristled. The tension reached its peak as she finally halted a few inches nearer than she should have, daring Cell to make a move with merely her presence in such close proximity.

"You certainly have quite the attitude for someone who's lurking around my base unattended," Dregezia hissed, "Where's Cadet Whildu?"

"I left him in that drunken, ragtag horde you call an army," Cell snapped.

Dregezia bristled. Cell smirked, which made his opponent shiver with rage. But her expression was almost immediately replaced with a gloating grin as she recovered from Cell's low blow.

"What?" she sneered mockingly, "are you too good for a little bit of fun?"

"I'm not too good for them," Cell puffed out his chest, "I'm too perfect for them."

Dregezia rolled her eyes.

"I knew you were trouble the moment I set eyes on you," she grumbled.

She shook her head before glaring directly into Cell's eyes. She continued her path, shouldering Cell out of the way with surprising force for a woman of her height, not breaking her intense eye contact. Cell felt himself give way slightly from the impact, and Dregezia took full advantage by thrusting her way forward, knocking Cell against the wall.

"Don't even think about wandering around alone again, Cell," she called over her shoulder, "I've got eyes all over this compound. One wrong move, and you're leaving here in pieces!"

Cell glared after her, long after Dregezia had vanished behind a corner. Cell decided he didn't care for her very much. If he got the chance, he was going to kill her. Not that she stood much of a chance before but considering his current situation he didn't have much of a choice but to let her live. Later. She'd die later. Very slowly. He rubbed the point of her impact, letting his wounded pride simmer.

"Mr. Cell!" a reedy voice broke Cell out of his bloodthirsty thoughts. he turned to see Whildu running as fast as his stubby legs would carry him, huffing and puffing loudly from the effort.

Whildu skidded to a halt at Cell feet, bending over and gulping for air like a fish out of water.

"Mr. Cell!" he wheezed, "you shouldn't be wandering around alone! You're an outsider here and-!"

"Too little too late, Whildu," Cell growled, glancing at the spot where Dregezia had vanished.

Whildu turned pale.

"Did you get in trouble?" Whildu panicked, "I'm sorry! It's all my fault! I should have told everyone to not bother you! Are you still hungry? I can get you something to eat!"

"I don't require food," Cell growled.

Whildu slapped himself.

"Of course!" he wailed, "you must be exhausted after your travels! I'm sorry for being so thoughtless! I can show you the way to the bunks! You can sleep above me!"

Before Cell could protest, Whildu grabbed Cell by the wrist and pulled him along, babbling even more profusely than before. Cell couldn't even get a snarl into the conversation. At this point, Cell could only guess how far underground they were. Whildu pratted along in his merry way, but Cell could no longer care. He didn't even feel irritated anymore. His thoughts were disjointed, and he felt sluggish. If Cell would have known more about emotions, he would have realized that he was experiencing the sensation of exhaustion. However, Cell did not have such an attunement to his own senses, his emotions were only useful if they helped him fight. Otherwise, they were a nuisance.

The room that Whildu dragged him into was held in the deepest recesses of the complex. I was a rather dank and dreary place, filled from floor to ceiling in rows of towering bunks. They barely had enough space to cram each of the grey metal frames into the room. To the wall on the far right, a glowing alcove with white tile and bright halogen lights was the only sign that the room wasn't abandoned. Whildu pointed to it.

"The showers are over there," he chirped, "toilets too."

Cell shrugged. He had no need for anything that this room had to offer. Whildu apparently took Cell noncommittal gesture as a sign that his tall, green companion was tired because he pointed again to the back wall in the near distance.

"Lockers are there to store your personal belongings," Whildu smiled, "I can put your pouch in one, if you'd like."

Cell shook his head.

"I like to keep this near," Cell pointed to Akarius's hiding spot around his neck.

Whildu's smile faltered. The boy shrugged.

"Suit yourself," Whildu walked down one of the rows.

Cell sighed and again followed his guide. He slipped between the tiny bunks, barely able to fit his wings in between the cramped space. He inched over to stand over Whildu, who was kneeling on the ground, fiddling with a box attached to the bedframe of one of the lowest-most bunks.

"This here's my bunk," Whildu said, still preoccupied with is task, "The one above me is now empty. He didn't come back."

The unsaid words hung heavy in the room. But Cell, accustomed to brushing aside death, simply looked at the middle bunk. He frowned.

The small space was going to be tricky to enter and exit, considering his height and build. Likely, he was going to be cramped and uncomfortable if he tried to stay in there for the night. Cell sniffed indignantly. If one of his Cell Juniors would have trouble in such a space, then he certainly wasn't going to stand for it!

"I think I'll remain here," Cell sniffed.

"Don't be silly!" Whildu looked up at Cell incredulously, "you'll be in trouble if you're caught out of bed and a few hours without authorization!"

"I don't care," Cell sneered, "I won't fit in there."

"Guys bigger than you sleep in these bunks just fine!" Whildu looked confused.

"That's a lie, and you know it," Cell growled, "besides, I'm an outsider. Your rules don't apply to me anyway."

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Whildu chided ominously as he slid into his bunk with a lantern and book in his hands.

Cell glared, trying to intimidate the young cadet. But Cell's efforts were lost since Whildu took that moment to light his lantern and begin to read. Cell rolled his eyes and relented, too honestly worn down to care anymore. With careful grace an effort that on Olympic gymnast would have been jealous of, Cell managed to wiggle his way into the thin, hard mattress and scratchy, grey fleece blanket. Cell let his head fall onto the stiff pillow and exhaled through is nose.

Staring up at the bottom frame of the bunk above him, Cell let his mind calm into a tranquil meditative state. Cell allowed his eyes to close, and his breathing became steadier. Whildu's rhythmic page turning hummed in Cell's ears distantly, like waves hitting the seashore. Cell could feel all the day's tension drawing from his body with each breath. Soon, he was floating in a blissful sea of calm, the closest thing the android could come to sleep. Cell embraced the warm darkness and he felt himself sink deeper. Not even Whildu's page turning could be heard now.

Blessed silence.

Blessed tranquility.

"Hey."

Oh no.

"What do you want?" Cell hissed internally at the voice in his head.

"Just wanted to see what you think about all this," Akarius replied, "I'm getting bored."

"Leave me in peace, Akarius," Cell hissed, "I have no patience for you right now."

"You're just lying in bed!"

"Trying to recover, you are blithering moron!"

"Ooh, using trisyllabic words now, are we?" she sniffed, "Careful, Cell, it's dangerous to use one's entire vocabulary in a single sentence."

"I despise you."

"Only because I'm winning."

Cell sighed internally.

"But enough insulting you for now," Akarius quickly changed topics, "what do you think?"

"About what?"

"I don't know," Akarius shrugged, "Anything! Today's been a crazy day for you!"

"Quite frankly," Cell also shrugged, "So much has happened that I don't care anymore."

"Overwhelming?"

"Honestly, yes."

"Someone's tired," Akarius snickered.

"Please," Cell sneered, "I don't get tired."

"I know you're tired, Cell, I can feel everything you're feeling," Akarius said, "You need sleep. You're barely able to function anymore."

"I don't sleep. It's not part of my design."

"Says who?"

"Dr. Gero."

"Who?"

"My creator."

"Oh."

"Much of what I know about my design was told to me by Dr. Gero's voice recordings as I remained in my development chamber."

"So, he said that you didn't need to sleep?"

"More or less. I don't require food or water, either. In fact, even breathing isn't always required for my body. Like Freeza, I can survive anywhere, including in the vacuum of space."

"I kind of got that when you destroyed the Kaelin Battleship, remember?"

"I remember."

"So then why are you exhausted if you don't need sleep?" Akarius asked, "It almost seems like Dr. Gero was talking out of his ass when he told you that."

"I am not tired!"

"You're not thinking clearly. You trip over yourself when you walk. And you're lethargic! Sorry, Cell, but that's textbook tired, right there!"

"I am not-!"

"Quit fighting me and just listen!"

"No!"

"Cell," Akarius said warningly, "Please trust me. I wouldn't be saying anything if I didn't think you weren't at risk. I'm concerned for you."

"What?"

"You're the only person who can help me," Akarius continued, "so if you go, I'm done for."

"So, my wellbeing is to your benefit?"

"Pretty much. I scratch your back, you scratch mine; as the saying goes."

"Fine," Cell hissed, "if it will get you to leave me alone, I will try to sleep. How do I start?"

"Well," Akarius instructed, "instead of focusing your mind like you do for meditation, allow your mind to drift. Keep your breathing deep, slow, and steady. In a few minutes, you'll feel it."

Cell sighed and did as he was told. His breathing slowed, and he felt his body become numb. It was sort of like he was floating. His mind lulled, and he felt himself slip into an almost trance-like state. I was rather peaceful. Cell rather enjoyed the sensation. It was warm and inviting.

Very peaceful.

...

Suddenly, Cell was bombarded by light and sound!

"Good morning!" Whildu's face was inches from his. The boy was grinning widely and shining his lantern in Cell's eyes. Cell jerked upward and hit his forehead on the upper bunk.

"Ouch!" Cell yipped, rubbing his forehead. He glowered at Whildu.

"You slept like a rock!" Whildu babbled, "You must've been tired! You didn't even flinch when everyone came back last night!"

Cell looked around. Sure enough, the room was filled with milling bodies squishing themselves around the cramped space that weren't present before.

"What happened?" Cell felt groggy. He rubbed his heavy eyelids.

Whildu giggled.

"You act like you've never slept before, man!" a purple faced man with neon orange tufts of wiry hair leaned over the side of the top bunk to grin at Cell, "Get up, Sleepyhead! Today's a new day!"

He promptly bounded down and skittered over to the showers where a long line of various alien men wore towels around their waists. Cell watched him go curiously.

"Did I fall asleep?" Cell murmured aloud.

Whildu laughed again.

"Oh boy, you were sawing logs the whole night!" Whildu giggled, "You don't even remember, do you?"

"No, you don't understand! I don't-!" Cell was about to bite Whildu's head off for not listening.

"Hey! Tall, green and snores-a-lot!" a booming voice interrupted the early stages of Cell's tirade, "join us over here, new guy!"

Cell turned his head to see some men about to head into the showers, waving to him. Cell opened his mouth to tell them to go to Hell, but Whildu beat him to the punch.

"We're coming!" Whildu chirped, dragging Cell out of bed. Cell hit the ground in on his rump, getting another rude awakening for the day. Cell glowered at Whildu as he rose.

"Not you, pipsqueak," the largest of the group said, "the new guy!"

Whildu looked crestfallen.

"What's your name, New Guy?" the big one asked.

"Cell," the android called back, "and if you want me to come over there, this one comes too."

Cell indicated the stunned Whildu. The group of guys looked at each other, clearly nonplussed. The leader turned back to Cell and shrugged.

"Suit yourself," he said.

Cell took that as the invitation to approach. Whildu bobbed after him, looking more excited than Cell had ever seen him. Cell turned a thunderous look on Whildu, and the boy quailed under his intense gaze.

"Calm down!" Cell snapped, "they're just another bunch of atoms stuck together into piles of walking meat, just like you! Don't get yourself so worked up about it!"

Whildu nodded.

"Lucky for you that I'm feeling rather generous this morning, so I'll forgive your little stunt earlier. Just don't ever get in my face again!"

Whildu nodded so hard that, for a moment, Cell was worried that the enthusiastic boy would snap his own neck. Cell rolled his eyes and continued to the waiting group. He drew up to the leader, a grey muscle-bound behemoth of a man with ice-blue eyes. The man extended his hand.

"Name's Dridge," he said, "Welcome to the team, Cell."

Cell folded his arms, ignoring Dridge's outstretched one. The large man didn't seem to be affronted by Cell's lack of manners and kept smiling as he lowered his hand.

"I'm not a part of your team," Cell sneered.

Whildu's face drained of color. Dridge's smile faltered and his eyes went wide as the room fell into a stunned, awkward silence. In the distance, someone coughed.

"Uh," Whildu piped up, his reedy voice becoming even squeakier, "What he means Is that he's not staying with us! Queen Dregezia is sending him to meet High Priestess L'lar!"

"Oh," Dridge and his group nodded in understanding.

Cell sent a venomous glare in Whildu's direction, and the boy wilted in shame under Cell's penetrating glare.

"Well," Dridge said, beaming again, "Since you're not staying long, how's about you spend the morning with us? We've got monitor duty. You could have some fun with us in the Hangar."

Cell shrugged. He quite frankly didn't care. There was nothing that these fools could provide as adequate entertainment aside from their deaths.

"I'm sorry," Whildu said meekly, quaking a little, "But Cell's supposed to be with me."

Dridge rounded on Whildu.

"No one cares, runt!" Dridge snarled, looming over the small boy.

"But-," Whildu faintly protested, "Queen Dregezia said-."

"But Queen Dregezia said," another member of the group mocked in an exaggerated squawk.

The men laughed raucously as Whildu's face turned beet red. The boy looked down at his feet in shame and shuffled awkwardly. Dridge pushed Whildu to the ground.

"Buck up, short stack!" he laughed, "You're supposed to be a soldier!"

"I guess the Queen recruited a whiny crybaby instead!" someone in the back hollered.

The room burst into hearty laughter. Whildu's eyes began to water.

Cell watched as the room's occupants began to corner Whildu. Like beasts of prey who spotted a weak member of a herd, Whildu's small stature and miserable retorts were like a dinner bell for the rough crowd of men Dregezia employed. They fell upon the poor child, ready to tear the boy to shred with words as sharp as sabre teeth. Every moment the miserable boy spent at their mercy, the more pathetic he became.

But Cell couldn't blame them. Cell knew what it was like to pick on an easy target. In the moment, it was thrilling. You felt so domineering, commanding. You held someone else's life in your hands, and it was infinitely amusing to watch a pathetic life gasp and sputter to feverishly cling to life. The look of pleading, panic and fear. And the joy of knowing you could end such a life in an instant.

It was thrilling.

"But this is different," Cell thought.

Cell blinked. His heart seemed to stop for a moment. Something in the pit of his stomach sunk. Suddenly, the scene before him shifted, He was no longer looking at the thrill of the hunt.

Whildu was in tears now. He had sunk to the ground in the middle of the floor. The group was laughing now, towering around the boy in a jeering circle.

This was no hunt. This wasn't even entertainment.

This was pitiful.

"What a pathetic display," Cell snorted, "tormenting weaklings is hardly entertaining for this long. What will you geniuses come up with next?"

Dridge narrowed his eyes as Cell rolled his.

"Well what do you say we do with him, Mr. know-it-all?" he demanded.

Cell barked out a short, derisive laugh.

"Well, aren't you the clever little devil, what with that scathing insult and all!" Cell mocked, enjoying himself, "I'm surprised you haven't used your keen intellect for academia!"

Dridge looked confused. But somewhere in the man's brain, he registered that he was being insulted. Cell saw the man's eyes light up with angry fire. Cell smirked. Dridge growled and prepared a retort, but Cell turned on his heel.

"But I digress," Cell now paraded around the room, cutting off Dridge from a tirade, "those that merely insult the weak are barely more than feeble fools themselves. True strength comes from the thrill of combat, and the domination of the complete victory. The willingness to take what is rightfully yours! That is the meaning of power! And with such power comes with it the pride to wield such power! Without any pride you are meaningless, little more than petty fools and drunkards. Hardly anything near a formidable force of competent warriors. I ask you: where is your pride? Your honor? Because I see none here. All I see is fools that will never be anything more than pawns and cannon- fodder."

All eyes were on Cell as he strode through the crowd. They watched him with wide eyes, keeping their distance as he approached so that it looked as if they were water parting from the thrust of a mighty ship's keel. He made his way to the doorway without incident.

"Wait!" Dridge called.

Cell didn't pause. He strode out of the room without a backward glance, not bothering to acknowledge the awestruck throng behind him. The door closed at his back with a dull finality. Cell sniffed as he stood outside the doorway. At least he was alone now.

"Nice speech, Vegeta," Akarius tittered.

Well, almost alone.

"What?" Cell thought.

"Blah blah blah fighting spirit. Blah Blah Honor. Blah blah blah, Prince of all Saiyans. Blah Blah Pride."

Cell growled. She had a point. His Vegeta genes must be enjoying the military life. He'd have to keep a careful eye on that to prevent himself from slipping further into insanity.

"Mr. Cell?"

Whildu's voice from behind him broke Cell out of his thoughts. He turned to look at the boy. Whildu shuffled his feet. The boy looked at the ground, hands clasped behind his back.

"Um," Whildu said, "would you like me to take you somewhere?"

"No," Cell replied.

Whildu rubbed the back of his neck. The boy looked like he wanted to crawl out of his own skin.

A strange gurgling, growling noise broke the silence. Whildu grimaced.

"What was that?" Cell asked.

"Sorry," Whildu groaned, "I guess I'm hungry."

"Then I suppose you need to go to the Mess Hall," Cell folded his arms over his chest.

Whildu nodded, still clutching his stomach.

"Well?" Cell barked, "We don't have all day! Get going!"

Whildu gratefully nodded. He led Cell back to the Mess Hall, and before Cell knew it, he and Whildu were sitting alone at a corner table with plates of food and drinks in front of them.

The two sat in silence, neither one eating the food. Cell eyed the rooms occupants. The room seemed to be rather quiet at this early hour. Cell reasoned that the skeleton crew that ran the place at night had either eaten or gone to bed. The rest of the army probably was still getting ready for the day ahead down in the bunks. As a result, only a few people were in the vast hall.

At one end of the room, Cell noticed Dregezia eating alone. She wore her uniform from the Bronze Anchor Inn, looking out of place. She looked up from her food and met his gaze. Cell made it a point to stare back. He wasn't going to let her think she could intimidate him.

"Thank you," Whildu broke the silence.

Cell was so surprised that he broke eye contact with Dregezia and looked at the boy.

"What?"

"I mean," Whildu picked at his food, "You didn't have to yell at them. So, thank you. I appreciate that you did that for me."

"Honestly," cell shrugged, "I rather surprised myself with my actions."

"So, you didn't mean to stand up for me?" the boy was crestfallen.

"I guess," Cell said.

"Oh."

Cell watched the boy continue to pick at the food on his plate. He rested his chin on his hand, looking off in the distance as he swirled the contents. Cell noticed that the boy looked miserable.

"Why do you let them treat you like that?" Cell asked, breaking the silence.

Whildu shrugged.

"I guess it's because we're a team," Whildu muttered, "they're just doing it to make me stronger."

Cell snorted.

"If that's a team, I'm glad I've never been part of one."

"They're doing it to make me a better person!" Whildu defended.

"You're a decent enough person," Cell snorted, swirling his drink absentmindedly with the straw, "why do you need their validation?"

Whildu's eyes filled with tears of happiness as he looked up at his android companion. Cell had the urge to back away from the emotional display as he watched Whildu's entire body being to quiver.

Suddenly, the boy leapt up from his seat and wrapped his arms around Cell's neck, sobbing. Cell squirmed as the boy's wet tears hit the side of his neck. Cell resisted the urge to break the boy's neck, and instead roughly pushed him away.

Whildu stumbled back, looking slightly forlorn and sheepish. The boy sniffed and dried the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand. He sniffed loudly.

"Sorry," Whildu whimpered, "but that was the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me!"

"I get that, but don't hug me!" Cell snapped.

"I'm sorry!" Whildu repeated.

The cacophony of expressions mixed on Whildu's face made Cell laugh. If Cell was being honest with himself, then he had to admit that this boy was quite entertaining. Whildu's face fell into a look of pure misery.

Cell calmed down to a chortle.

"Your expressions are amusing," Cell giggled.

Whildu's eyes became huge and full of tears.

"Not in that way!" Cell's giggle increased to a full laugh, "You're funny! I think you're funny!"

Whildu's eyes grew to an impossible size. Cell almost fell out of his chair for the force of his laughter.

It took some time for Cell to recover. During his episode, Dregezia had left and the room began to swell with people. By the time Cell had enough time to return to normal, the Mess Hall was full.

"Are you okay?" Whildu asked.

"I'm fine," Cell sighed, "I haven't felt like this before. I think the word is called 'giddy'. It's a rather unique experience."

"Okay then," Whildu looked confused, "Mr. Cell, please don't be offended, but you're weird."

Cell fell out of his chair from laughing so hard. People stared at the android rolling in the floor with mirth. Cell petered out, splayed on the floor and staring up at their ceiling. Cell felt his cheeks hurt from the strain, but he remained grinning on the floor like an idiot.

Cell on any other day would have been mortified to find himself in this position. Today, however, he was in too good of a mood to care. He grinned up at Whildu who had run over to him at some point during his breakdown. Cell met the boy's concerned expression with a punch-drunk smile.

"Mr. Cell," Whildu said, "I think you need to eat."

Cell waved the boy away as he sat back down.

"I'm fine, Whildu," Cell said, "I guess today I'm easily entertained. Besides, you haven't eaten either."

Whildu looked at his plate.

"Eat," Cell commanded, pushing his plate to the boy, "and have mine too."

Whildu looked stunned.

"Are you sure?"

"Eat!"

Gratefully, the boy began to wolf down the food as fast as he could without choking. Cell watched with mid disgust and fascination at the boy's efforts. Within minutes, the boy cleaned both plates, and leaned back with a content smile on his face.

"Thanks," Whildu grinned, "I needed that!"

Cell nodded. He was now preoccupied with the growing concern that he was losing his mind. First, the decision to say that he's an earthling. Then, the sleep. Next, his unexpected tirade about honor. Now, this humiliating outburst. He needed to get out of here. Fast! He wasn't sure what caused this defect but being here was making it worse.

Cell was forcibly thrown out of his thoughts as a loud boom shook the Mess Hall.


	7. Chapter 7

The room was in chaos. Red lights flashed along the walls and blaring alarms ripped through the Mess Hall. Through the underground complex, panic erupted. The barely-trained ragtag group of freedom fighters scattered, thundering to either their stations or bunkers. I the Mess Hall, the multitude of occupants scrambled under the tables as another blast shook the hall, raining debris and dust down on the wailing throng. Cell and Whildu crouched under their table, huddling uncomfortably close for the android's taste.

"What's going on?" Cell yelled over the noise.

Whildu covered the back of his head with his hands and sobbed. Most of the Mess Hall's occupants were now making mad, thunderous dashes to the doors. Cell tried to move, but Whildu did not. Cell rounded on the frozen teen.

"Boy!" Cell barked, grabbing Whildu by the shoulders and shaking him, "Answer me!"

Whildu looked up at his companion with distant, fear-stricken eyes.

"They're here," Whildu's voice sounded ominously clear over the din.

"Who's here!" Cell was growing impatient, "Tell me now!"

"I heard everything!" Whildu now was bawling again.

"Heard what?"

Several Days Earlier:

Whildu found himself sitting alone again in the Mess Hall. This was a common occurrence for the teen, and while it did leave a seeping hole of loneliness bleeding in his heart, he was used to it.

"Hey, runt!" a burly voice called.

Whildu looked behind him for the source of the voice and was met by a tray full of food.

In pain and blinded, Whildu fell over, clutching his face. Voices were laughing at him, surrounding him from all sides.

So, his daily bullying had begun.

Feet began to kick him as he curled on the ground, trying hard not to burst into tears. Eventually, he failed, and tears streamed down his cheeks.

"What's going on here?"

The Major's voice stopped the kicking and laughing.

Through his blurred vision, Whildu watched the Major's feet join the circle.

"This little punk tried to take our food, sir!" one of the group lied.

"Yeah!" another piped up, "We were just defending ourselves!"

"Then how come he's on the floor crying while you group of numbskulls are kicking him?" the Major asked.

"He slipped as he tried to run away. We were kicking him to get back at him for wasting our rations!"

"Is that so?" The Major knelt down and pulled whildu up by his hair, gnashing his pointed teeth, "Well, then, you greedy little shit, if you want more than your fair share of rations, then you're going to have to work for it!"

That was how Whildu found himself mopping the floor outside a series of empty conference rooms.

It was several hours of tedious mopping before Whildu drew up to the last conference room on that floor. As he approached, Whildu swore he heard voices arguing inside. He drew closer. The voices were becoming more urgent now. One seemed to be very agitated. He noticed that the door was left ajar, so, Whildu peeked his head around the corner.

Standing off in a far corner of the conference room, General Gurch'ek- El and Queen Dregezia were deep in a heated conversation. Whildu suppressed a gasp and crouched low so that he would not be seen.

"And I still think you're making a huge mistake!" the General snarled.

Queen Dregezia tossed her hair over her shoulder.

"I run this operation, so my word is final! We attach the Kaelin Production Center at Potuli! No more objections!"

"But-!"

"No more buts!" she shrieked.

Huffing, Dregezia turned to storm out of the room. Whildu's heart leaped into his throat. The boy dived back around the corner to continue mopping, acting like he heard nothing. Dregezia emerged from the conference room and stormed past Whildu without a backward glance. She slammed the door behind her with incredible force. The walls shook as the door collided with its frame.

With wide, fearful eyes, Whildu watched her go. When he was sure she had vanished and was out of earshot, he exhaled and wiped the sweat from his brow. He basked in the silence for a few breaths, glad that he was not noticed. Then, the boy heard the General speak again from inside the closed conference room. Curiosity burning in his chest, Whildu pressed his ear to the door.

Inside, General Gurch'ek El's voice could be heard, muffled by the wood of the door.

"Potuli's Production Center is the next target."

A pause.

"Yes, I'm sure!"

Another pause. Whildu swore he heard another man's voice yelling, but it was too faint for the boy to be sure. Whildu squinted his eyes and strained to hear the conversation inside.

"I know that it will be expensive to move, that's not my fault! You are the one who insisted that Potuli was the perfect site! I told you that it's an obvious target!"

Another voice was yelling now, Whildu could hear him clearly.

"You are out of line, Sir El!" the man's voice bellowed, "Do not question my authority again!"

"I'm doing my job! I'm telling you that you ignored my warning and are now paying the price!"

"I can't move the Production Center!"

"Well, you're going to lose it if you don't do something!"

The voice sighed. Whildu heard the General begin to pace.

"Gurch'ek," the voice sighed, "you have been faithful to me for many years. And I'm going to tell you this in confidence."

The General didn't respond. Whildu heard his footsteps pause.

"I fear that Xirana is going to make her move any day now. The crews of my Fleet follow her commands. I know that she's positioning herself for a series of mutinies."

"I still can't believe a lowly scout thinks that she has a chance to take over," the General snorted.

"She does have the capability. She's quite crafty."

"Queen Miyarta won't let that happen."

Whildu froze, pausing his rendition. Cell squinted at the boy.

"Who?" Cell asked.

"Miyarta. The Demon Queen! The ruler of the Kaelin Empire! Her name alone is enough to freeze an army in their tracks. And General Gurch'ek El was throwing her name around as if he knew her!" Whildu flailed his arms wildly.

Cell nodded. Whildu breathed hard to compose himself before continuing with his story.

"Miyarta remembers Xirana's name. She's forgotten mine," the voice said.

"I see," the General replied.

"I'm telling you this because I assume that the next time you hear from us, Xirana will be giving the orders."

"I understand."

"I have become obsolete. Moving the Potuli Production Center will be my final act."

"Your sacrifice will be honored."

"Many thanks. All to Kaelis."

"All for Kaelis."

Whildu was rooted to the spot as he heard the General cut the connection. There was a pause. Whildu could hear the General's voice speak again.

"Hello, Priestess."

"Ah, Gurkech'El!" A screechy woman's voice said, "How is my favorite double agent doing today?"

"I'll be fine when you pay me," the General's voice replied.

"Of course," she simpered, "You'll get everything that's owed to you. Provided that I am satisfied."

"I also have some intel for you,"

"How much do you want for it?"

"I'll take Planet Pokwa as payment."

The woman laughed.

"You must have some premium intel for that price!" she laughed, "Fine, Sir El, I'll humor you. But I won't pay a pebble until I hear everything."

"What if I told you the Production Center at Potuli is going to be moved to avoid destruction by a Rebel raid?"

"That's indeed useful, Sir El, but not a whole planets' worth of info."

"That's not all," the General plowed on, " what if I told you the exact location of the Rebel base?"

The silence was deafening.

"Would _two_ planets be enough for you?" her voice broke the silence.

"Plenty," General Gurchek-El's voice grinned.

Whildu turned and ran.

Cell stared at Whildu. The boy's mouth had finally stopped moving. He waited as Whildu sobbed and shook as the building trembled around them. Debris rained down as another loud boom rattled the room. Still, the boy did not move.

"Well, then you need to get out there and tell Dregezia!" Cell snarled, irritated, "I'm not about to let my only chance of getting off this worthless planet burn to the ground!"

The boy's head snapped up. His eyes were teary and wide as he gawked at Cell. From the look that the boy was giving his android companion, he might as well have asked the boy to saw his own arm off.

"But I'm not combat ready!" Whildu whined, clutching his temples, "I can't go up there!"

Cell slapped him.

Whildu fell over onto his side, stunned. He looked pathetically up at Cell, his brown eyes filling with more tears. Cell grabbed him by the shoulders. He forced the boy to stare directly into his eyes and shook him.

"Quit being a coward and get moving!" Cell roared.

He pushed Whildu out from under the table.

The battle was in full swing when Cell and Whildu burst out of the secret base and onto the pier. The noises and colorful flashes of laser fire tore through the air. Explosions rent the air with fiery heat and an earthquake-like force. Aircraft and smaller spaceships tore through the air, tearing through the buildings with strafing runs and engaging in a multitude of dogfights overhead.

One aircraft made a run straight for the newcomers. Rapid blasts of laser fire tore through the ground, missing the pair by mere feet. Cell and Whildu covered their faces with their forearms to protect themselves from the sharp shrapnel. The blasts continued forward, exploding a fuel tank carelessly left outside not ten feet from where they stood. Cell and Whildu grunted as the explosion knocked them both back onto the ground.

Cell stood quickly, barely brushing himself off. Whildu was lying on the ground looking disoriented.

"Come on!" Cell roared, grabbing the boy by the wrist and hauling him to his feet. Cell pulled the boy forward, forcing him to break into a stumbling run.

The water lapping the pier was on fire. Its eerie light casting whirling shadows over the scene, and scorching any who dared venture too close. Cell sprinted forward, ignoring the heat, dragging the stunned Whildu behind him. More laser fire cut through the air, but Cell kept running.

"We've got to find Dregezia," Cell thought, diving behind a large metal crate as a hostile spacecraft dived to rain more red beams of death at the pair.

Missing its targets, the spacecraft soared away like a predatory bird and circled to find new victims. Cell watched it fly off and get blown into pieces by another aircraft. He moved on, breaking into a sprint again and away from the safety of cover.

Whildu was gasping and wheezing behind him. The boy was right, he wasn't combat ready. Cell glanced over his shoulder to see that the boy was turning a shade of hunter green. His breath was ragged and his eyes were glassy and unfocused.

"He needs medical attention, fast!" Cell growled internally.

His flight was becoming more desperate as he sprinted past burning building after burning building. The desperate flight became hopeless as it dawned on Cell that he had no idea where the Rebel Queen was. He pushed Whildu behind a dumpster, quickly kneeling. Grabbing the swaying boy by the shoulders, Cell bellowed over the noise.

"Where is Dregezia?"

Thundering footsteps approached at a sprint. Cell pushed the shivering Whildu to the ground. Moments later, a contingent of visored foot soldiers ran past. Cell watched them pass, only to see a red flashing object be thrown in front of the group. The red ball exploded into a pillar of fire, scattering some of them and instantly vaporizing others.

The wounded moaned among the dead. The smell of burning flesh hit the hiding duo. Cell grimaced as he watched Whildu expunge his lunch onto the concrete.

"FALL BACK!"

Cell heard Dregezia's voice screaming over the thunderous noise. Cell saw her from a distance, standing on top of a pile of rubble at the far shore of the river. Her helmet was gone, and her face was covered in thick, blue blood that seeped from a huge gash on her forehead. With one sweeping motion, the rebel leader gracefully dived under the water and disappeared.

After she vanished, the undisciplined rebel soldiers scattered like a herd of scared prey, pushing and tripping over one another to find safety. They stumbled to the water, each one of them fishing for a mask, before diving into the water with graceless splashes. Enemy fire rained down from overhead on top of the panicking group, causing even more panic as the soldiers were cut down.

They pushed and shoved each other at the river's edge, desperate to enter the water. Cell saw many bodies fall in without a mask. In the melee, Cell saw the hapless souls flail in the water, yet none of their comrades came to their aid. Bombs exploded in the water, throwing many bodies back onto the shore. Within a few minutes of frantic splashing and screaming, the chaotic crowd vanished under the water.

The waiting Kaelin aircraft circled over the water like buzzards over a carcass. The desperate souls that were left behind were quickly picked off by rapid bursts of laser fire. Whildu wretched again as a pile of bodies floated by their hiding spot.

"Can you breathe underwater?" Cell asked as soon as Whildu was done.

The boy's pale face gawked up at him.

"No way! I'd need an oxygen mask!"

"Do you have one?"

"No!"

"Right," Cell hissed.

The android moved with blinding speed, snatching an oxygen mask off the face off a floating corpse. He handed it to Whildu.

"Put it on."

Whildu recoiled.

"You're joking, right?"

"No."

Whildu's eyes grew to the size of the food trays.

"You want us to go out there?" Whildu yelled, "The Kaelins will pick us off as we move! We'll be killed!"

"You might," Cell shrugged, "I won't."

Whildu blanched.

"Put the damn mask on!" Cell roared, "I promise I won't let you get killed! I need you alive for the time being."

Whildu shivered, thinking things over.

"HURRY UP!"

The boy jolted, and with shaking hands, slowly tried to put the mask on. Annoyed, Cell roughly shoved the boy's hands away and snapped the mask in place. He roughly grabbed the boy by the upper arm. Without warning, he flipped Whildu onto his back in a fireman's carry. The boy let out a surprised squeak.

"Hold on," Cell said.

Cell felt the boy's grip tighten as Cell charged out of the safety of their hiding spot, and towards the water. Almost instantly, laser fire began to rain down on them, missing the pair by inches. Cell felt the heat of a blast graze his arm, but no pain accompanied the burn. As he suspected, he was immune to laser fire.

Whildu yelped with fright.

Cell growled. He may be immune, but the boy was not.

Unable to move at his full speed due to the awkward position of the carry, Cell had no choice but to dodge another stream of laser blasts by leaping into the air, over the last few yards of concrete that stood between them and the water. Cell gracefully flipped over in the air, firing a simple tri-beam up at the circling spacecraft, before crashing back -first into the water.

Cell felt the boy let go of his back. He spun around under the water to see Whildu frantically clawing at the mask. Cell watched as the boy's face slowly began to turn blue. Realizing what was going on, Cell swam over to the struggling boy. Cell grabbed the mask, pressing a small button under the jaw.

A green light glowed next to the button and a huge stream of bubbles poured out of the mask. Whildu heaved in breaths as the mask supplied him the life-giving oxygen. Cell waited for the boy's color to return. After several deep breaths, Whildu met his gaze and raised his thumb. Cell nodded and pointed downward. Cell plunged deeper into the murky depths, and Whildu followed close behind.

It took over an hour of swimming for the duo to find the Rebels. Farther downstream, the river opened into a deep lake. Cell brushed aside some reedy aquatic plants to reveal the deep gulley. At the bottom of the lake, Cell and Whildu could see a veritable city of underwater tents lighting up the ravine.

They swam down, mingling with the other soldiers, pushing their way towards the city center. Cell kept scanning the crowd, trying to find some semblance of the irksome Dregezia. Finally, he spotted a flash of navy blue hair flashing under a distant light. Cell pulled Whildu forward, aiming for Dregezia.

Suddenly, the hair darted through the crowd. People quickly parted as Dregezia moved through the crowd. She passed by Cell and Whildu in a blur of motion before pausing outside a tent near the center of the city. A trail of blood followed in her wake.

Cell let a bubble of surprise escape past his lips. Dregezia's legs were gone, replaced by a shark-like fin and tail.

She pushed aside the curtain that covered the entrance of the tent with a webbed hand and slipped inside. Cell shook his head to dislodge the cobwebs of surprise. He dragged Whildu to the tent and ripped the curtain aside. Cell forced his way inside, the water parting like a curtain just inside the entrance to reveal fresh air.

Inside the tent, at least thirty people were scampering around. Some were frantically pressing buttons at the computer terminals that lined the walls. Others were running stacks of papers back and forth. Dregezia and the General stood at the far end of the tent, barking orders. Dregezia looked disheveled and wore a bandage around her head. her eyes blazed with fury. Cell locked onto his target.

"DREGEZIA!"

The woman whipped around, glowering at the newcomers in her tent.

"Cell!" she snarled, "Get out!"

"No!" Cell retorted, "You have to listen! This-!"

"I will not have you disrespect me in my own Command Tent! Now, GET OUT, OUTSIDER!"

"Do you think I want to be in your sorry excuse for a Command Tent?"

"I WON'T ASK AGAIN! GET OUT!"

Dregezia pulled out her handheld railgun and flipped a switch. The machine whirred to life, glowing ominously as she pointed the barrel between Cell's eyes.

Cell pounced, toppling the Queen to the ground. He pinned her arms uselessly at her sides with his knees. The room bustled to life, every person in the room- save for the pale Whildu, trained their weapons on Cell. In response, Dregezia screamed in his face.

"You won't be giving your masters any more information, spy!" Dregezia screamed as she struggled under Cell's weight.

"I'm not a spy!" Cell fired back, "but he is!"

Cell pointed to General Gurkech'El.

The General froze as all eyes leveled on him.

"Nonsense!" Dregezia snapped, "you're trying to save your skin!"

"That boy can confirm it!" Cell indicated the stunned Whildu.

Dregezia paused her struggling, a light seemed to turn on in her head as she scowled at Whildu. The pathetic boy stood, sopping wet and shivering, in the entryway. He quailed under Dregezia's gaze. Now certain that she wasn't going to shoot him again, Cell released his grip on the Rebel Leader and stood. The soldiers still kept weary gazes on him and did not lower their weapons. Dregezia waved them down, and they uneasily lowered the guns.

"These are serious accusations," Dregezia smoothed her ruffled hair and she strutted to the center of the tent, "and I won't take them lightly. General, you will step away from the console and refrain from issuing any further orders until your hearing is over. You two will stay over in that corner until this battle is over. Don't touch a thing!"

"Your Majesty," General Gurch'ek- El's mustache rippled with indignity, "Surely this is unnecessary. You are going to take the words of a cadet and an Outsider against mine?"

"This isn't about taking sides, General," Dregezia glowered at him, "this is a matter of finding the truth. No matter what we try, we always feel two steps behind the enemy. This battle has been a farce from the moment we set foot on the battlefield. There is a spy among us, and now I have some potential suspects, and someone who is a potential witness. I need to know what's going on. Please, General, step away."

"I will not, your Highness," he sniffed, "you need me right now. When we've won this battle, I will gladly step away from my post. But now is not the time to pull me away!"

"Is everyone determined to disrespect me in my own Command tent?" Dregezia howled, "Comply now, General, or I will toss you out the door myself!"

Grudgingly, the General eased away from the console. Satisfied that the General was far enough away, Dregezia turned back to Whildu.

"Speak, Cadet," she said, "what do you know?"

In a small voice, Whildu retold the waiting crowd what he had overheard. As he did, Cell saw suspicious glances being shot from the soldiers towards the General. Cell noticed that the man was sweating bullets as Whildu recounted that Xirana offered the General two planets. Dregezia growled.

"Is this true?" she snarled at General Gurkech'El.

The man vigorously shook his head.

"I have no idea what that boy is talking about!" he wheezed.

"Then why are you so tense?" Cell asked.

"Any sensible man would be tense at such accusations!" Gurkech'El responded.

"Gurkech'El," Dregezia said, "Please calm down. "You're not guilty of anything unless we have more proof besides this boy's word, "she turned to Whildu, "what's your name, Cadet?"

"Whildu, ma'am" he mumbled.

"If Whildu's story can't be backed up by any evidence, then you're fine."

Cell snorted.

"M'Lady," a soldier said, "We should search all three of them."

Dregezia nodded.

Cell and Whildu were both patted down by the soldiers without fuss. Cell bristled at the contact but complied anyway. Anything to get off this rock and on his way. However, Gurkech'El yelped and backed away when a soldier approached him.

"Stay back!" he howled, "that's an order!"

"Search him!" Dregezia snapped.

The solder and Gurkech'El began an awkward dance. The solder would reach out to touch the general, but the larger man would bounce just out of reach. The solder dove again, but still Gurkech'El slid out of reach. The dance continued over and over again, the large man slowly being herded into the corner.

The soldier mad one more desperate thrust. This time when Gurkech'El bounded out of reach, his large belly collided with the corner of a computer console. He yelped in pain, doubling over. From out of a sleeve, a black box toppled out. It hit the floor with a loud clatter. Instantly, the box screeched to life.

"What's going on! Where are the Rebels?" Xirana's voice called through the speaker, "Sir El, answer me!"

Dregezia's eyes were shooting daggers at the general now. The portly man stepped back towards the door but stopped short when he noticed the myriad of weapons trained on him. Knowing that he was cornered, Gurkech'El swung his arm out wide, pulling out a black vial from a hidden inner pocket in one fluid motion.

The vial flew through the air, smashing it onto the ground. Black, viscous liquid splattered on the floor. The watching crowd gaped in growing horror as the lid rapidly congealed into a thin, horned lizard-like creature with leathery black skin.

Gurkech'El turned and fled out the door.

"Stop him!" Dregezia yelled, pointing after him.

The Kaling saw the movement and pounced at Dregezia, baring its massive, venomous fangs down to her throat. Without thinking, Cell dove.

The Beast's fangs pierced the skin at the base of Cell's neck. Cell felt himself scream. Hot, purple blood poured from between its jaws as it held on tight. Cell's vision began to cloud as tears of pain welled in his eyes. His nerves were on fire as the scalding venom poured into his bloodstream. The weight of the Kaling buckled Cell's weak knees. Cell heard Whildu yell his name as his vision spotted. The thunder of feet filled the tent.

Cell was unconscious before he hit the ground.


End file.
